A single Cattle Egret seen with 2 Great White Egrets and 2 Little Egrets in the Watton Brook valley north of the Sewage Treatment Works. The Cattle Egret was later seen on the flooded meadow east of the STW. This record of Cattle Egret is my first on my local Breckland patch and although an exciting record, my feelings have been for some time that this species would be seen on my patch sometime in the near future.
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| Cattle Egret at Bodney 21 April 2024 |
With all three Egret species seen together, comparisons were easy to see. The more familiar Great White and Little Egrets need no comparison notes, however, the Cattle Egret, being less familiar, showed obvious differences from the other two species. The Cattle Egret was the smallest of all three species, it was also a stockier looking bird with a short, thick neck, a strong short bill, and a definite jowl. A faint yellow-orange wash on the crown indicated this was a male bird.
The Cattle Egret was first seen in the company of two Great White Egrets and two Little Egrets on flooded meadow habitat. The Cattle Egret fed by probing with occasional short chases for prey. I noticed that the Cattle Egret often wandered into thick grass habitat in its search for food.
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