After finishing a night duty this afternoon, I received a text from Allan Conlin: a Cattle Egret had been found at Burton RSPB. Living just 15 minutes away, I quickly made my way to the reserve and headed straight to the old Inner Marsh Farm hide.
Cattle Egret
The Cattle Egret was soon picked up, weaving gracefully among the sheep on the far side of the pool—what a delightful sight! I managed to reach the hide just before the heavens opened, making for a wet but very rewarding afternoon.
Other notable birds included 7 Curlew Sandpipers and 16 Dunlin, although the hoped-for Little Stint remained absent.
Curlew sandpiper
All in all, a fantastic afternoon’s birding and another Cattle Egret added to Burton RSPB, marking my third record for the reserve.