In February 2017 the BWT maintenance team spotted a Little Egret by the lake and Dave Ward took this photo.
The RSPB website says: The little egret is a small white heron with attractive white plumes on crest, back and chest, black legs and bill and yellow feet. It first appeared in the UK in significant numbers in 1989 and first bred in Dorset in 1996. Its colonization followed naturally from a range expansion into western and northern France in previous decades. It is now at home on numerous south coast sites, both as a breeding species and as a winter visitor.
For the past six years or so, I have seen a single Little Egret above the waterfall in Mote Park - but only in the winter. This past winter I saw one (the same one???) in Mote Park at the Madginford Bridge, then several times in the upper pond at Major's Pond. A fellow dog-walker has seen one (the same one again???) in the Loose valley; the Warden at Vinters Valley reports one in his lake. All one bird, or an influx of them? Many thanks, Dave, for the lovely photo.
A couple of photos I took of the Little Egret last month which show the plumes and lovely yellow feet. I have also seen one at Loose and in Mote Park as Claire mentioned. Always alone, so no chance of any little Little Egrets this spring.
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and one of it fishing
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I saw a flash of red/orange under its wing in flight one morning dog-walk in Peoples Wood. Slightly smaller than a song thrush and with a stripe over its eye to distinguish it. Kindly perched for a while for a photo.
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