After shopping, recently, we passed a field of Cows with a few Egrets standing by.
There seems to be a lot more of these lovely birds around than I remember.
I immediately said to Lady Magnon "I wish some of them would come to live around us".
That same afternoon we saw five Egrets down with the Horses. It was almost as if they'd heard my request. We've never seen them here before.
Since then I've counted about ten. I disturbed them up in a tree recently whilst walking the dog.
They really are the most elegant and beautiful birds. I know they're not rare, but having them settle in our tiny hamlet is wonderful.
I hope they stay and multiply.
36 comments:
They certainly are lovely birds. Let's hope they make themselves at home in your hamlet.
I do hope so, it's lovely to see them in the fields below.
beautiful birds, the universe listens to you sometimes.
It was a very bizarre coincidence.
Of egrets, you have a few, but not too many to be counted. They are indeed a very beautiful looking bird.
I first saw them out in the Caribbean. I've been a fan ever since. To me they seem very exotic.
Wonderfully elegant birds. Glad you can enjoy them up close
Lovely to have them flying about. Their big brothers, the Herons, also visit occasionally, but they soon move on.
These are the Great Egret.... originally Mediterranean, they have been moving steadily North!!
They will stay around.... some have even reached the UK.... at least one pair bred in the Somerset Levels this year.
We have little egrets here in Harpenden on the River Lea. They are beautiful birds.
We have lots of Little Egrets here in Norfolk. Yours are Great White Egrets, which have a yellow bill. Our Little Egrets have a black bill, and wierdly, black legs but yellow feet!
I didn't know that there were two types. Yes, you see a lot of them down south; especially in The Camargue.
They'd be nice in the garden, maybe with a Pheasant or two.
I continue to learn; thank you. All beautiful birds.
I know I sound smug but we have both types of egret in Somerset. In fact we have the whole family, large and small egrets, herons and the bittern. The bittern has been spotted less than 5 miles from me but I have not seen one. I believe tracking them down involves effort...
Did I mention the cranes as well? Smug, smug smug.
We have Cranes that fly overhead, but only on their way South. Bitterns are very rare, aren't they? I've never seen one. What we do have, which you probably don't, are Hoopoes; beautiful birds, but again quite rare these days.
Not to be outdone by Somerset and Gardner Fisher, we have bitterns here on the Broads and the train line is named after them. Herons are abundant, and egrets fly through the sky in droves.
How do they stay so white? Must be the water.
Have you got water nearby Cro?
Not really, I think they just like being in amongst the Cows or Horses.
DAZ. I always wonder the same thing about Arab's long white robes; they are always so VERY white.
OK, so we have very few interesting birds here. I saw a Sparrow this morning.
Three types, Cro.... three white Egrets...
[1] This, the Great Egret, with its "broken neck" appearance and yellow bill [except when the male is in full breeding plumage, when the bill turns black]....
[2] The Little Egret... with very long plumes from tail and head... and yellow feet... and whose long plumes, used for millenery, were the reason for the Society that gave rise to the RSPB
and...
[3] The Cattle Egret... small, short, stumpy, hangs around with cows....
All have spread North in the last 3 decades... first the Little Egrets, then the Great Egrets and now, in Summer... visiting Cattle Egrets to the south of the UK... so it won't be long before they are permanent!!
They are elegant birds and I hope they stay. We have great blue Herons that I see once in a while.
I love Herons. I've known them since I was a small child in Surrey. There were always a few around.
You are so fortunate. I live at the very edge of their range. They fly by, on the way to a summer range. I've seen then fewer than ten times in thirty years. So beautiful.
Such a beautiful post today.
When I lived in Laguna Beach I would see a few in the canyon. They are the most elegant birds and I hope they stay or at least come back every year to visit.
cheers, parsnip and badger
I think one turned up once not all that far from here on some Nature Reserve - would love to see them here.
Beautiful birds. I used to se them a lot when I stayed between Duras and St Foy la Grande
Sorry. Just noticed it is Gardener Fisher.
We used to have a solitary male Great Egret that would spend a lot of time in our garden when we had a house on a creek. There were females in another part of the village but he was a confirmed bachelor & would never invite any of the girls over. I found one of his breeding plumes once, which he'd fluff up with in the season. So many photo opportunities over the years as they are very long-lived. Fingers crossed for you they take up residence!
Cattle egrets were in abundance too on the dairy farms. They live almost symbiotically with the cows but seem such unlikely bedfellows. All the egrets are such beautiful birds.
I really hope they'll stay here, now that they've discovered how ideal it is for them.
I hope so too; a very welcome addition to our wildlife.
From what I hear, they are spreading north quite rapidly.
We've seen quite a few over the past years, but they've never been as openly present as they are now. I'm slowly becoming a bird watcher!
I suppose it's the 'whiteness' of them that I like so much. Most of our birds are brown, and quite dull. The Egrets make everything come alive.
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