Great White Egret

Sunday March 25 - Another unseasonably warm sunny day saw Dave Scanlan and myself meandering our way from Netherstead via the Tawny Owl, which was showing, to the Flash, little realising the excitement that lay ahead. John Yardley had got there ahead of us and reported the disappointing news that the only significant wader present was the Green Sandpiper. A Redshank soon appeared at the furthest flash, but there was no sign of the Little Ringed Plover John had found yesterday. Fortunately, after about 30 minutes it flew in and got added to my personal year list. With just a couple of singing Chiffchaffs and a few Meadow Pipits to add, this looked like being one of the less memorable visits. By 11.30am John had decided to head for home, and Dave and I were going towards our cars. For some reason I scanned the skies to the north and immediately picked up a white Heron flying away. I shouted to Dave that I had got an Egret, and then realised its slow steady flaps could mean it was a Great White. Dave got onto it while I desperately tried to put my scope on its tripod and get it set up. By the time I did this Dave reported it was still going away and I got scope views of it, but all I could say was that it was an Egret and looked large. I tried to call John and got through at my second attempt, just blurting out there was a probable Great White egret flying over and he should look in the direction of Bannams Wood. Then Dave told me it was turning and I should have another look at it. I did so and saw it in profile, but by now almost too distant to pick up with the bins. The bill colour couldn't be determined, but the legs were extremely long and there was a pronounced bump caused by the folded neck.


Great White Egret

The Egret began to circle on a thermal and for a moment I thought it may come back towards us. But then it resumed a steady slow flapping flight and was now heading east in the general direction of Aston Cantlow. We decided we needed to try to see its bill colour and there followed a scene not dissimilar to a Le Mans start as we jumped into our cars and drove back to the road,then headed first north and then east in the vain hope of cutting it off. Sadly it was not to be, and we eventually gave up and started phoning, amongst others, Rare Bird Alert. We decided to call it a probable Great White Egret only because we had not seen its bill colour and although we were sure it was large, not a single other bird had appeared alongside it.  I learnt that poor John had not managed to get onto it, and we met up with him under Bannam's Wood to sympathise. A single male Blackcap singing from the wood was a rather anticlimactic additional year tick. I rang Mike Inskip, who turned out to be visiting the Flashes. He confirmed that the bird had not returned there, and later revealed he had seen a Shelduck here on Thursday.

The above drawing and notes were made when I got home as there was no time to do anything except look at the bird when it was going over. I feel it is a fair reflection of how it looked when briefly and distantly in profile. Given that it probably flew right over us before I chanced to first set eyes on it, it makes me wonder what else flies over unseen.