Indian Pond Heron? Saudi Arabia (1 Viewer)

I took this photo on 16 March at Sabkhat Al Fasl in the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia (Arabian Gulf coast). It is the only photo I have of the bird as it flew off and could not be relocated. It looks like an Indian Pond Heron but has a few features that to me at least, do not look convincing.

The bill size and shape
The amount and thickness of streaking on the head and neck
The amount of white on the center of the neck
Loral line is not as dark as I would have liked
Buffish ground colour to neck (difficult to work out if this is a light effect or true colour)

The bird is coming into summer plumage so could this be an Indian Pond Heron, as most of the features mentioned above are for immature birds in winter plumage. Bill size and shape of course is not. The last feathers to be moulted on Indian Pond Heron are the neck feathers I think, so maybe this is why the neck streaking is not quite as thick as I expected? And some summer plumaged IPH have very reduced dark loral strip like the Saudi Arabian bird.

I have not seen Indian Pond Heron before so any thoughts and comments on the bird would be very welcome.

Jem
www.birdsofsaudiarabia.com

Have a scroll through these - http://orientalbirdimages.org/search.php?p=56&Bird_ID=1107&Bird_Family_ID=&pagesize=1

Hello

I think it is still a Squacco Heron

birds with such plumage appear quite often in Kuwait and eastern KSA : http://www.hawar-islands.com/blog/14_stub.php/2009/03/

Dhaharan would also rather further north where they frequently recorded in UAE and Oman.

Omar

I think your probably right Omar, took much of a cursory glance. The legs looked greenish, but thats probably the light conditions, theres no obvious loral line, the white is too broad. Interestingly dark mantle, but too many other anomalies on closer inspection.
http://www.birdsofkuwait.com/blog/?p=2265