The call the Squacco Heron the Garcilla Cangrejera in Spanish, which means the Crabbing Little Heron, more or less. In the Tablas at the moment there is an abundance of fish and crustaceans which have proliferated due to the amount of water the Tablas had recently. Although the water level has dropped and is waiting for the winter rains this has provided a large quantity of food for these herons. So much so that there are several that have bred here. On a walk around the Tablas I saw at least twelve, which is far more than I have ever seen there or in one spot here in La Mancha.
Although its name implies that it eats crabs, its main food are insects, their larvae, amphibians and small fish. Only seldom does it eat crustaceans. This then perplexes me as to their Spanish name. It doesn´t really matter though, as they really are lovely to see especially, as I said, in such large numbers.
