Great White Egret - Earlswood

 Today was a good day to go birding. Early September and humid. Perfect.

Life, however, can get in the way. I was committed to other stuff, and spent the day in Stratford checking my phone as news filtered through. Obviously the east coast was the place to be, and the impoverished land-locked birders would have to rely on scraps.

Being a Monday, a lot of birds undoubtedly passed through unseen, but at Earlswood Lakes a Great White Egret was hard to ignore. Not exactly the sort of "rarity" to float many boats, but it was local, it was there, and it would do.

I got there for 16.00 and went to its last known location, Terry's Pool. But it had gone. The only birders present, Tony and Janet, were wringing their hands and wondering what to do next. The obvious move would be to check Windmill Pool where it had been when Mike Jeeves first put the news out.

I drove round to the causeway and immediately spotted it at the southern end of Windmill Pool. I alerted the others and set off to walk closer to the bird.

Tony and Janet joined me having taken a shorter route along Gypsy Lane. 

I know these birds aren't the rarity they once were, but they are very impressive. It seemed quite happy stalking around the Water Bistort, and once lunging to successfully catch a small fish.

I headed back to the causeway where I paid attention to a flock of Black-headed Gulls hoping for a Med Gull or something. Instead I became aware of terns calling and looked up to see four Common Terns excitedly careering around before making their way south-east along the length of Windmill. They seemed to be an adult and three juveniles, and were distant in no time.

I plan to be out and about tomorrow, and just hope the omens are still good.