Monday 21 July 2014

Great White Egret ..... does this bird have some neck !

In my last post I featured the Little Egret which is now fairly widespread throughout our wetlands and waterbodies and has colonised the UK in recent decades.

A much rarer Egret is the Great White Egret whose numbers are increasing in the UK year on year and has successfully bred here in recent years.

Earlier this year there were three at Pitsford Reservoir so I went along to see if I could connect with them, normally all I see is a white speck way out in the distance.

Having parked at the Anglian Water car park just outside Pitsford I was making my way to the reservoir across the wooden bridge over the Moulton Grange Bay inlet, I happened to glance to my right and there, no more than fifteen metres away, a Great White Egret was busily fishing.

I must have watched it for over an hour.

It is the sheer size of it compared to the Lesser that stands out,100cm long compared to 65cm with a yellow rather than black bill.

Tremendous to see up close.





Great fisherman



2 comments:

  1. The size of these birds always get's me yet they're so elegant

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  2. You are certainly right Douglas and amusing when they do a '' soft shoe shuffle '' to disturb the mud when hunting.

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