Well, this wasn’t on my list of targets. So, when a white heron flew along the shore at Chittening Warth, I fully expected a little egret to fill my binoculars. My first check is always the colour of the feet but, dammit, they were black and dangled well beyond its body. And the bird was large.
A good measure of how large was conveniently available when a buzzard flapped across and, although it looked bigger, the buzzard was closer to me. My best estimate for the egret was at least as big as the raptor.
The only possible snag in this identification is that mud-covered yellow feet look black, and there’s plenty of mud on the Severn Estuary. Still, I make that 90% certain for great white egret and I’m sticking to it.
The bird was species number 95 for my Bristol list since reed bunting had made it 94 soon after getting out of the car and looking over the Warth. However, the egret was the first ever sighting for the city and only the third across Severnside. Since those records came in May and last year, we can say that the species is on its way in and many more can be expected. Still, it’s nice to be a trendsetter once in a while.