-Purple herons nest in UK for first time-
<RSPB and Kent police protecting herons' nest in Dungeness in the hope pair will successfully breed>
A pair of purple herons are nesting for the first time in the UK, conservationists said today.
The striking birds breed in southern Europe and visit Britain in small numbers each year, but the pair have nested on the Dungeness peninsula in Kent and could be the first to successfully breed here, if they can hatch the eggs they have laid and rear the chicks to fledging.
Experts said the bird, which has struggled in Europe in recent decades, is one of the species likely to be setting up home in southern Britain as climate change pushes wildlife further north.
But according to the RSPB, the site at Dungeness is under threat from the potential development of the airport at Lydd.
For now, a round-the-clock species protection scheme has been set up to give the purple herons the best chance of becoming the first successful breeding pair ever recorded in the UK.
Kent police are helping the RSPB protect the nest, and officers warned that any attempt to damage the nest or remove eggs was a criminal offence.
Dr Mark Avery, the RSPB's conservation director, said: "The RSPB has a century-long heritage of protecting birds in Kent.
"Our protection scheme at the site provides immediate security for the birds, but the potential development of an airport on the peninsula casts a long shadow over the future of this magnificent site and its wildlife.
"Purple herons are up on the list of birds that we expect to see setting up home in southern Britain as changing climate pushes them further north.
"This highlights the importance of wildlife havens like Dungeness in providing space for species displaced by global warming."
The purple heron, which is closely related to grey herons that are widespread in the UK, can reach 90cm in height with a wingspan of up to 1.5 metres (5ft).
In Europe, the bird breeds in colonies in reedbeds and feeds on insects, reptiles and amphibians. Purple herons are migratory and winter in Africa.
The RSPB said the pair in Dungeness were currently sitting tight on their nest and there was little for visitors to see.
If the eggs hatch, the wildlife charity hopes to set up a viewing station at a safe distance to give the public a glimpse of the "historic wildlife moment", Dr Avery said.
