07/01/2008 05:09:48
Winter may not seem like the right time for exotic visitors to the UK, but this winter has seen an unprecedented arrival – in the form of small, white herons.
Cattle egrets have long been a familiar sight around the Mediterranean, but have until recently been only occasional visitors to the UK.
The current influx began in November and accelerated through December, with Cornwall hosting the biggest gatherings. A group of at least 18 birds reported last week is more than double the number ever seen in one place before the current invasion.
The egrets are being seen in counties across the UK and Ireland, with birds turning up as far north as Scotland. Just before Christmas, Iceland saw its first recorded sighting for fifty years.
The high numbers in the UK have led birdwatchers to wonder whether some birds may stay to breed next summer. If they did so, they would follow in the footsteps of the little egret, which rapidly colonised the south coast of England in the 1990s.
Following the herd to find a cattle egret? Best Western has a range of hotels in South West England.