Wild Bird Wednesday 671 - Great White Egret

The Great White Egret (Ardea alba) is another bird that is expanding its range and becoming more frequently seen in the UK.  In fact, the numbers of breeding pairs, winter birds and sites where it can be seen, are increasing rapidly.  This change in distribution has been very noticeable since the species first bred in the UK in 2012. 

This bird was hunting in the reed beds at Ham Wall RSBP reserve on the Somerset Levels.  It was in this part of the world where this species first bred in the UK.  So, maybe Somerset is a bit of a peak location for this species!

As its name suggests,  the Great White Egret is a large bird being of a similar size - but with radically different plumage - to the much more common Grey Heron. The Great White Egret is about 1m long (tall?) with a wingspan of about 1.5m.  It is estimated the around 150 of these birds now winter in the UK.

This bird shows a combination of summer and winter plumage - the yellow bill with the green base is typical of a winter bird, but you can also see that some of 'wispy plumes' which are part of the breeding plumage.  You can also see the birds two-tone legs.

Unfortunately for me as a photographer and the bird as a hunter it never managed to catch anything in the time I watched it, and after about 10 minutes it wandered off back into the reed bed and out of sight.

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