Mystery bird at Sebkhet near Benghazi

I went out birding today along the coast just north east of Benghazi. There is lots to blog about including many passage birds and wintering birds. In fact I have given myself too much to do!  I want to go birding tomorrow but the blogs need doing too. What to do?


I have some identification issues which makes things even harder.  Here is one which is annoying me the most.


I saw it at very start of my birding day. Its big and looks like a dark morph of a grey heron. Everything but the colour seems to look more like a grey heron than a purple heron. But I know don't they exist, do they?   


I have got plenty of pictures - mostly poor quality! but here I am posting 3 - one of the bird at distance to show the habitat, a close up of the bird with its head stretched and one when it is not. 


Can anybody help me so I can move on.

dark heron at Sebkhet

dark heron showing habitat

There were fifteen or so grey herons near-by but he didn't seem to be interacting with them.

close up of dark heron

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