Great Egret ?

[Dave S]

Again while walking the dog this morning I saw a bird that I have never seen before. In every respect it looked the same as a common heron. Size, flight and fishing by our local stream but pure white.
Checking the identifier it looked like a Great Egret, but the beak was a light grey rather than yellow.
Would this be a normal sighting in Suffolk or is there such a thing as an albino heron.
( please no jokes about specsavers)

Last question, why at 63 do I still get excited at seeing wildlife ?

Thanks,
Dave S

[artdemole]

Could be little egret.Common in rivers and marshes in some places.

[solus]

Could well be a Little Egret. There are a few Great White Egrets around the UK at the moment but only a handful: Littles are much more common. You say you saw it flying - did you notice if it had yellow feet? Little Egrets (unless they have particulalry muddy feet) always look as if they are wearing yellow galoshes!

[solus]

Originally Posted by Dave S

Last question, why at 63 do I still get excited at seeing wildlife ?

Thanks,
Dave S

Dave - long ago there was some poet who said "If you're tired of London, you're tired of life", or something along those lines. Me, I'm not in the slightest bothered about London but apply the same to wildlife....

Whatever one's age, to see wildlife is always exciting. Long may it be that way!

[thebeard]

wildlife is there for people of all ages, an escape if you will from the stresses of modern life.
i'd say its likely to be a little egret, which are smaller than a grey heron, but all white with a dark beak. i've only seen them in iberia, but hope to see them in the UK soon, as sightings are increasing in notts, albeit slowly

[darrenm]

I wouldnt dismiss Great White Egret totally and there have a few about in the UK in the last year but the liklihood is it was perhaps a Little Egret which are now breeding in parts of the UK and doing very well.

The feet and leg colour are a good indicator of species but confusion can still arise.

A pair of Little Egrets bred in Nottinghamshire a few years back and are seen on and off up and down the Trent Valley.

An evening roost count i took part in on an East Coast site two years back found 43 Little Egret using a large Hawthorn hedge and these birds are now a very regular feature of the Wash area.

If anyone wants to get good sightings try Jacksons Marsh Hide in July early evening at Gib Point on the Lincs coast.

[Dave S]

Thanks to everyone for the help.

These are the only things that I can confirm, as I was about 30 yards away with bins.
The bird was definitely the size of a common heron with a very light grey beak. Also I did not see a long whispy feather from the back of the head as shown in the picture of the Little Egret.
Unfortunatly I did not notice if the legs were yellow/orange so I assume that they were dark grey.
New resolution, I must remember the camera even if I forget the dog.

Thanks again,
Dave S

[solus]

The plumes (long wispy feathers) are part of the breeding plumage so wouldn't necessarily be present at this time of year and even if the bird did have them they could be held close to the head in flight so not easily visible. Also, it's the feet of Little Egret that are yellow - just the feet, not the legs.

Odds are it was a Little Egret (especially if the bill was dark) but without a pic or more information you may not be able to be 100% certain. BirdGuides reported 12 sightings of Great White Egret round the UK over the past week but some of those could be duplicated - the same bird moving around and seen in different locations.

Still, you may well have another chance of a better view another day.

[Guinnessman1974]

If the beak was grey in colour it will be a Little Egret. Cattle and Great White Egrets have yellow bills.

Little Egrets are significantly smaller than Herons, however it may have appeared to be a similar size from a distance. Good places to see these birds in the U.K are the South Wales and Cornish coastlines.

[david156]

This is the only picture of Little egret I have with both the feet and bill showing. Hope this helps.



David