14:30,
14 AUG 2016
BY MIKE LOCKLEY
For
the very first time, little egrets, birds usually associated with Mediterranean
climes, have nested in our patch.
It’s
the West Midlands first that has birdwatchers in a flap.
Yes,
the egret has landed. Not only that, it’s nested.
For
the very first time, little egrets, birds usually associated with Mediterranean climes, have nested in our patch.
West
Midlands Bird Club broke the news after being tipped-off by residents living
close to the heronry at Middleton, Warwickshire.
They
had seen small, snow-white birds that definitely weren’t herons. A closer
inspection revealed three little egrets had hatched high in the dense cover of
trees.
Bird
Club leading light Ray Davies said: “No one knew about it until they could be
seen standing in the nest. It really is a wonderful event.
It
may be a first, but it’s not totally unexpected.
Little
egrets, perhaps spurred by climate change, began to colonise the south of
England 20 years ago and the small number of newcomers quickly began to grow.
What’s more, the egrets’ range expanded rapidly.
When
they began to nest in Conway, North Wales, birders knew it was only a matter of
time before the little egret became a West Midlands breeding species.
No comments:
Post a Comment