| Re: Cattle Egrets
I would think that one of the draw backs to breeding in this country would be that they are colony breeders and would need a site large enough to accommodate several pairs, but I am sure that they will breed eventually. The pair that I saw were definately getting enough to eat even in January but it may not be that easy with snow on the ground! Littel Egrets are "2 a penny" here in Devon now, when I saw my first 10 or more years ago I remember how thrilled I was. Of course with totally different feeding habits Little Egrets can always get enough to eat in the UK by feeding in the Estuaries close to the sea as they do on the River Exe, that will not be the case for Cattle Egrets. I do think that this is a fascinating example of nature taking its course. The most successful colonisers have been the Collared Dove (unheard of before 1956 in the UK) the Little Egrets as discussed and now hopefully the Cattle Egrets. All three without intervention from the RSPB who seem to get involved in "pie in the sky" schemes like White Tailed Eagles, Bustards etc. I think they should be more concerned with the decline of the Song Thrush, House Sparrow and nest sites for House Martins. Still that's another thread.  |