Almost the only member of the heron family that visits the Nilgiri hill stations is the pond-heron or paddy-bird (<em>Ardeola grayii</em>).
A colony of these birds pursues its avocations on the margin of the lake at Ootacamund, but I believe that I am right in saying that the paddy-birds of Ootacamund go to the plains for nesting purposes.