Little Egret ( Egretta garzetta )

Another visit to RSPB Leighton Moss.  We had hoped to go a week or so ago but the road to the hides we wanted was closed.  Our aim was to get shots of Avocet chicks, which had been reported 10 days or so ago.  Sadly there were no chicks, it seems the Avocets aren't very good parents and gulls find chicks a tasty snack.

The blip is of a Little Egret.  They first bred in UK in 1996.  I well remember the excitement of seeing my first one when we were down in Cornwall in 1999 for the eclipse.   Now they are fairly common anywhere south of the Tees-Exe Line (remember your school geography).  They are also found mainly on coasts over most of the rest of England and Wales.

The species list for the day was:
Avocet, 
blackbird, 
bar-tailed godwit, 
black-headed gull, 
black-tailed godwit, 
coot, 
cormorant, 
crow, 
curlew, 
great black-backed gull, 
greylag goose, 
heron, knot, 
little egret, 
mallard, 
marsh harrier, 
moorhen, 
mute swan, 
oystercatcher, 
robin, 
sedge warbler, 
swallow, 
swift, 
tufted duck.

The extras are Grey Heron, Greylag Goose and Avocet