There's been several Cattle Egrets at Burton Mere Wetlands RSPB for a while now, I think six is the maximum count. I visited the reserve this afternoon with old friend Mark Wotham.
The Cattle Egrets were on view from the Reception area, a few in the traditional pose of perching on top of cattle. One bird was a bit closer off to the left of the main scrape/lagoon. Good views of this bird until it flew back to area behind the lagoon where the other Egrets were with the cattle. We only managed to see four birds for certain & that was only because three were atop cattle & another flew up in the same area.
Lots of other birds about, mainly Teal with some Wigeon on the main pool as well as Black-tailed Godwits, Little Egrets of course, several Whooper Swans mixed in with Mute Swans in the distant fields towards Shotwick Lake, skeins of hundreds of Pink-footed Geese flying out to the estuary marshes. As we made our way along the boardwalk several flocks of mixed passerines including Long-tailed Tits, Nuthatch & Greater Spotted Woodpecker.
As we continued along the path towards Inner Marsh Farm Hide there were a couple of birders peering into the bushes where a roosting Long-eared Owl has been seen recently. After some hard looking I managed to pick out the bird deep in the bush, only really having a view of part of it through a small gap!
Just about in the centre of the photo. The light was going by this time, although the photo makes it looks lighter. Loads of Starlings were coming into roost in the reedbed as we made our way back along the boardwalk, to the sound of a screeching Water Rail, with the light rapidly failing.
