Cattle Egret
23rd July 2005, SaturdayA small white egret in this area is usually a Little Egret. They frequent wetland habitats, so an egret which arrived at some allotments in St Leonards on July 10th and proceeded to creep about the long grass pouncing on grasshoppers was bound to arouse curiosity. Andrew Grace quickly suggested that it could be a Cattle Egret- a much rarer bird in the UK - but it did not look typically like that species. Close inspection by Ralph Hobbs revealed however that it was indeed a Cattle Egret - about the 10th for Sussex - albeit a very young individual.
It has been coming and going but today returned to the allotments at midday, allowing a few of us excellent views as it stalked about among gro-bags, water-drums, artichokes, ragwort and gardeners, to a sound track of sparrows, Herring Gulls and car alarms.
This allotment is fenced and locked to deter vandals, so we were grateful to Sue de Haviland for the tip-off and access.
This bird arrived during a period of southerly winds, when Glossy Ibis and Large Tortoiseshell appeared in our area. The nearest breeding Cattle Egrets are in the Baie de Somme. It is said to seem bigger now and more active than it did then. As a young bird, it is growing and it may have been exhausted by the crossing.
