The Lincolnshire Bird Club

Sent in by Brian Hemmings

Cattle Egret sighted today March 1st @ O.S. ref TF 351 215, beside B1168 Holbeach to Holbeach St Johns road.

It was working a dyke on the eastern side of the road, not spooked by passing traffic, feeding in the dyke bottom, being taken downwind (Eastwards) when it lifted, but returning to about the same position within 5-10 metres or so. Extended observation not possible but ID 99% certain, obvious yellow bill, all white plumage etc.

Andrew

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Andrew Chick
Website: http://www.forktail.co.uk/

Nice to see that it is still about - presuming it is the Legbourne bird

I'm not sure anyone has actuallyseen this bird since the initial sighting?

Andrew

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Andrew Chick
Website: http://www.forktail.co.uk/

I had a Cattle Egret flying south across the main road mid-way between Burgh le Marsh and Skegness on the afternoon of Thursday Feb 28th as I was driving to Skegness. Amazingly I then forgot all about it until hearing the news of the Holbeach bird. John Clarkson will understand this attention lapse perfectly.
Abject apologies!!

Cattle Egret reported at 7.30am 3rd March at Sea Lane - Butterwick

Forwarded to me via 'phil' - contact details available if required

Andrew

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Andrew Chick
Website: http://www.forktail.co.uk/

Just in case anyone's muttering "..suppresser.." it wasn't me who supplied the details ! Haven't seen it yet, but hopefully it will hop over to Freston.

Phil Hyde

Yesterday morning I decided to go and spend a few hours at Freiston Shore RSPB. At just after 9.30 am I had just got through Freiston village when I saw a white bird in a large ploughed field on the right of the road. Having been fortunate enough to spend some time looking at and photographing the Legbourne cattle egret my immediate thought was "there's another one!". I was able to stop fairly quickly and reverse back to get closer to the bird and was able to get one quick photo from the car window (oddly it was the first day that I had driven with my camera on the passenger seat because I had filled my back pack with other gear). I decided to get out of the car in order to get some better shots but the bird was clearly camera shy and took off towards Boston as soon as I started to open the door. I had a quick look at the photo I had got on the camera screen and was convinced that it was indeed a cattle egret. It wasn't until I got home later that afternoon that I had a closer look at the picture on the computer screen and found that I had been mistaken because I could see that the black bill and black legs and yellow feet actually made it a little egret. I should have known from the outset because I have seen lots of little egret at Freiston but rarely on the inland side of the sea wall and no further inland than the lagoon. I think I was fooled because it was in a ploughed field which seemed a more likely place for a cattle egret and because in such a large open field it appeared to be too small to be a little egret. I don't really want to make a comment on the reporters identification but the proximity of the location and time do seem to be a coincidence!

Trevor