Little Egret

Wadi14

I decided to post this here as you guys would know a lot more about birds than me, Saw a Little Egret today out my front window on the banks of Lough Foyle, I had to google it to find out what it was as I had never seen one before , living here 30yrs.

ytpe2r5bxkn0c1

Over the past 20 years they have been gradually spreading northwards in Ireland. They first bred in Ireland in Cork in 1997. The BTO Bird Atlas 2007-2011, shows several winter records for that area.

Lovely bird to see.

Wadi14

Definitely a lovely bird, it stood out well with its white feathers while fishing , I knew when I looked at it, it looked like a heron so I searched google for a small white bird looks like heron lol, it def wasn't as stealthy as the grey Heron when fishing, covered the ground or should I say water quicker shortly after one of the local Grey Heron's was there and the egret was gone.

Keplar240B

I see them all the time down around Cork-Waterford that seems to be their main stronghold. I have even see them right in heart of Cork city

Resident along coasts and rivers throughout Ireland, but still scarce in the Midlands and north-west of the country. Little Egret was considered rare in Ireland until it first started breeding here in 1997. It has since expanded and now occurs in almost every coastal county, as well as at a number of inland sites.
Sites in Counties Cork and Waterford regularly support most birds - Cork Harbour, Blackwater Estuary, Bantry Bay, Ballymacoda and Courtmacsherry Bay, Broadstrand Bay & Dunworley are among the best sites

http://www.birdwatchireland.ie/IrelandsBirds/LittleEgret/tabid/147/Default.aspx

Wadi14

It looks like they have made their way from the bottom to the very top of Ireland now then lol

OpenYourEyes

Here is their distribution during the breeding and wintering seasons, as per the BTO Bird Atlas:





Credit: http://app.bto.org/mapstore/StoreServlet

Wadi14

Thanks for that, I see them as being on the East coast of Lough Foyle and none on the west coast where I am, this was one bird on its own that I saw, would it have just crossed over on a day trip lol or do they stay in groups ?

gzoladz

I have seen them on their own and in groups. There are loads in Dublin.

Their territory is expanding rapidly so I would say they will become an usual sight where you are.

OpenYourEyes

Wadi14 wrote: »

Thanks for that, I see them as being on the East coast of Lough Foyle and none on the west coast where I am, this was one bird on its own that I saw, would it have just crossed over on a day trip lol or do they stay in groups ?

Well that data is a few years old now, so we likely have more Egrets in more places at this stage! The Egret you saw could well have crossed over or come from further afield even! Keep an eye out in the coming weeks and months and you'll get a better idea!

my3cents

What I find interesting is that while in some places they seem to be feeding almost side by side with the herons they don't seem to be displacing them.

Keplar240B

my3cents wrote: »

What I find interesting is that while in some places they seem to be feeding almost side by side with the herons they don't seem to be displacing them.

I often see them with feeding with side by side herons, even flying together

my3cents

Keplar240B wrote: »

I often see them with feeding with side by side herons, even flying together

But with his own kind a heron isn't the most tolerant of birds, we regularly see them fighting and at the end of the breeding season the young seem to quickly sort out territories for themselves. Then along comes the egret and if its not to the herons advantage to have other herons feeding nearby how come he's happy to feed back to back with the egret. I can only assume that either there is enough food for both or that they have different food preferences that don't overlap too much.

Half-cocked

my3cents wrote: »

What I find interesting is that while in some places they seem to be feeding almost side by side with the herons they don't seem to be displacing them.

They've even been recorded nesting in mixed colonies!

Capercaillie

Half-cocked wrote: »

They've even been recorded nesting in mixed colonies!

Little egret like to nest with Grey heron. The Grey's provide protection from predators (crows mostly).

Similar to Roseate terns nesting with Common terns. The Common terns are more aggressive and provide protection to more placid Roseate terns. (Openyoureyes can provide more exact details if I'm wrong)!.

monkeynuz

We have a little egret and a few herons in our back garden (Kenmare bay) every year they are there, we've been here since 2006.

thelawman

I seen 8 Egret while out cycling today, (at least that’s what I think they were) in a field close to a small river, never seen any before, beautiful birds,

Birdnuts

I was reading something recently that indicates that the Little Egret was a native bird of these islands during Roman times and probably much later. Excessive hunting along with destruction of wetlands then drove it to extinction - the same fate as other species such as Cranes, Bitterns etc. Which makes its return in recent decades all the more pleasing and a source of hope for all wildlife enthusiasts