Roosting little egret

The little egret is a member of the heron family that has quickly established itself as a relatively common bird in the UK. It is found in the same sort of locations as grey herons but also favours, in my experience, field drains and salt marshes to a greater extent than its more numerous cousin. It is frequently found roosting in trees and in groups. I've seen as many as ten together in a tight cluster in a pasture near a river. The roosting bird in today's photograph drew my attention for the way it was surrounded and overlaid by  branches. Usually when photographing birds it is customary to seek a completely clear view; here I was attracted to the pattern in which the bird remains the visual focus.

photo © T. Boughen     Camera: Nikon P950

Reflections and egret

click photo to enlarge
As I've said before, you often can't predict the way a watery background will appear when you come to look at your photograph. This is sometimes because the water surface is disturbed and the camera "freezes" it. Or, the reflections seem to be offering simplicity but delivers complexity. This photograph of a little egret at Hartleton Lakes near Ross on Wye is an example of the latter. In fact, the watery background almost reaches a psychedelic quality. Interestingly, none of my other photographs taken before and after this shot has quite this level of kaleidoscopic beauty.

photo © T. Boughen     Camera: Nikon P950

Little Egret

During my lifetime (possibly half my lifetime) the little egret has gone from being a bird I never saw in this country to one I see almost daily. Moreover, during that time it has changed from a bird that appeared to shun people to one that is relatively tolerant of them. The bird above was feeding in a small stream behind the Morrisons superstore in Ross on Wye and took off as we approached. It didn't fly far, however, simply settling on the ridge of the store roof from where it gazed down at us imperiously as we passed by.

photo © T. Boughen     Camera: Lumix FZ1000 2

Little Egret

I never imagined, during my teenage bird-watching days in the Yorkshire Dales, that I'd see little egrets almost daily in England because at that point I'd never seen one.  But that is what has happened during my lifetime. The first large influx of the species was noted in the south of the country in 1989 following a period of northward expansion in France. The first recorded breeding success was in Dorset in 1996. At that time I was noting lone birds on the Lancasire coast in the salt marshes. After I moved to Lincolnshire in 2007 I saw them regularly with the highest count being forty two on The Wash. I even saw the bird on several occasions by the stream and on the willow trees in my garden. When I photographed this bird recently by the tree lined Rudhall Brook in Ross on Wye, Herefordshire, it was one of three in a stretch of one hundred yards of water.

photos © T. Boughen     Camera: Lumix FZ1000 2

Little Egret

Though by tradition February 14th (Valentine's Day) is the date birds pair up for the breeding season the following month is when many species start to show mating behaviours. As the bird in this photograph shows, the little egrets on the River Wye at Ross on Wye have developed the long plumes characteristic of their breeding season. These slender, decorative feathers were much prized, along with those of other species, by nineteenth century hat makers who topped off their fashionable creations with groups of trailing plumes. It took hard work by early twentieth century activists such as Etta Lemon (yes, really!), one of the founder members of the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, before this fashion was abandoned.


photo © T. Boughen     Camera: Nikon P900