It was so windy yesterday morning these three Little Egrets couldn't fly. They had to rest up in the middle of the field. I felt cold just looking at them .... One tried to walk over to the shelter of the hedge but he was almost blown off his feet. He wandered about like a drunk but once he reached the long grass he was too wary to actually venture in. They didn't stay long.
It was a lovely surprise to wake up to ... a proper "Where's the camera?" moment.
This was only our second sighting from the house in twenty years. Numbers in the UK have risen since the early 1990s but before that they were a rare sight. According to BTO records there was only ONE sighting of a Little Egret between the three winters 1981 - 1984. The first confirmed breeding record was in Dorset in 1996. They are now regular visitors to over 400 sites across the UK with The Wash recording over 600 Little Egrets during the autumn months 2011.
They have jet black legs and yellow feet like they've paddle in paint.
Poor hunched things. How amazing.
ReplyDeleteYes, they just stood facing into the wind obviously very miserable but unable to go anywhere else. One was back again today.
DeleteLovely to be able to see them close to, we see them all the time now in North Norfolk but never as close as this.
ReplyDeleteI think it's a sign of global warming so it's rather worrying really ... but I do like to see them!
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