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The Birds Of South Gloucestershire          Little Egret - egretta garzetta

 

Until the 1950s, Little Egret was restricted to southern Europe. Over the next few decades they became increasingly more common in western France and later on the north coast. They bred in the Netherlands in 1979 with further breeding in the 1990s. In Great Britain they were rare until the late twentieth century and almost certainly did not breed. In contrast, they have now become a regular breeding species and is commonly sighted, often in large numbers at favoured coastal sites. The first breeding record is generally accepted as having been on Brownsea Island in Dorset in 1996. There are now several colonies across southern England and the species bred in Wales for the first time in 2002.

 

Little Egret is far from common in S. Gloucestershire;

 

2012:

Little Egret bird days in S. Glos for 2012: NB: Severnside represents Severn Beach, New Passage and Northwick, Aust & Warth's. OPS represents Oldbury Power Station, Shepperdine and surrounding areas.

 

Location

Jan

Feb

Mar

Apr

May

Jun

Jul

Aug

Sep

Oct

Nov

Dec

Totals

OPS

4

4

Severnside

3

3

Others

-

-

Totals

7

7

 

2011:

Little Egret bird days in S. Glos for 2011: NB: Severnside represents Severn Beach, New Passage and Northwick, Aust & Warth's. OPS represents Oldbury Power Station, Shepperdine and surrounding areas.

 

Location	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Totals
OPS	1	-	-	-	-	-	4	4	10	8	3	1	31
Severnside	1	2	7	3	11	11	17	14	12	17	10	3	108
Others	11	-	-	-	2	-	-	-	-	4	-	-	17
Totals	13	2	7	3	13	11	21	18	22	29	13	4	156

 

Other Sightings:

One was seen at Leap Valley, Downend on January 1st having apparently been present four or five days; One was present on the R. Frome at Frampton Cotterell on January 3rd; One was seen at Kingsgate Park in Yate at 13:00 on January 7th, the first record for this site; Two were noted at Marshfield on January 8th on in the Shire Valley the other on pools at Dunsdown Lane, West Littleton; One was present on the Streamside Walk at Thornbury on January 9th; One was seen in fields on the corner of Latteridge Road at Iron Acton at 09:00 on January 11th; One on the stream behind Clacks Mill Stables at Willsbridge on May 14th at 07:00; One on Yate Common on May 15th; Three were noted at Littleton-on-Severn on October 1st; One was seen on Littleton Warth on October 16th.

 

 

 

Little Egret at Leap Valley, Downend left & Kingsgate Park, Yate. January 2011. Andy Jordan & Darren Pearce.

 

 

New Passage in June 2011. Paul Bowerman.

 

2010:

Little Egret bird days in S. Glos for 2010: NB: Severnside represents Severn Beach, New Passage and Northwick, Aust & Warth's. OPS represents Oldbury Power Station, Shepperdine and surrounding areas.

 

Location	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Totals
OPS	3	14	5	8	6	-	3	7	16	15	18	1	96
Severnside	2	2	6	10	4	13	22	45	64	65	34	3	270
Totals	5	16	11	18	10	13	25	52	80	80	52	4	366

 

Other Sightings:

The first record for the Marshfield patch was seen on February 27th when it was inadvertently flushed from 'Big Pond' to trees in Gunning's Wood along Broadmead Brook in the Shire Valley; Two were seen at Heneage Court Pools, Falfield on November 6th; One was present in Shire Valley on Broadmead Brook on December 5th; One was seen on the Streamside Walk at Thornbury on December 26th.

 

 

The first record of Little Egret for the Marshfield patch. February 2010. Martyn Hayes.

 

2009:

Little Egret bird days in S. Glos for 2009: NB: Severnside represents Severn Beach, New Passage and Northwick & Aust Warth's. OPS represents Oldbury Power Station, Shepperdine and surrounding areas.

 

Location	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Totals
OPS	5	1	1	1	2	1	-	7	9	6	-	5	38
Severnside	11	11	17	8	14	17	17	9	34	37	1	6	182
Totals	16	12	18	9	16	18	17	16	43	43	1	11	220

 

2008:

Little Egret bird days in S. Glos for 2008: NB: Severnside represents Severn Beach, New Passage and Northwick & Aust Warth's. OPS represents Oldbury Power Station, Shepperdine and surrounding areas.

 

Location	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Totals
OPS	3	3	-	6	6	1	5	9	6	7	5	-	51
Severnside	7	12	12	16	7	6	8	19	66	37	11	3	204
Totals	10	15	12	22	13	7	13	28	72	44	16	3	255

 

Other sightings: One was noted at Latteridge near, Iron Acton on December 13th.

 

 

Little Egret at New Passage. February 2008. Paul Bowerman.

 

2007:

Littleton Warth had one on September 9th and a further sighting on November 10th; At Leap Valley in Downend single flyovers were reported on May 4th and 10th.

 

Location	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Total
Severnside	1	2	1	3	1	1	1	3	4	3	4	2	26
OPS	2	3	-	-	-	-	-	1	1	5	1	8	21

 

2006:

Oldbury area: Single birds were noted at Oldbury Power Station on January 17th, March 13th, March 23rd at Pickedmoor Lane, Oldbury-on-Severn, March 26th on Lagoon I, April 16th - 17th on Lagoon I, April 29th, June 4th, August 28th and October 24th on Lagoon III; One was seen on Littleton Warth on December 27th. One was noted at Leap Valley in Downend but no date is available.

 

Severnside	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Total
	1	-	5	3	1	1	1	2	1	1	5	1	22

 

2005:

Oldbury area: Single birds were seen at Oldbury Power Station on January 2nd & 8th, March 5th, and October 9th with two present on August 28th on Lagoon III and September 29th on Lagoon III; One was seen at Oldbury -on-Severn on December 21st; One was noted on Littleton Warth on December 17th & 20th.

 

Severnside	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Total
	-	1	-	1	2	1	2	1	1	1	2	2	14

 

 

Little Egret at Oldbury Power Station. January 2005. Pete Hazelwood.

 

2004:

At Oldbury Power Station: One was present on May 15th with another on December 11th - 12th.

 

Severnside	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Total
	-	1	1	2	1	1	3	2	2	1	1	1	16

 

2003:

One was reported from Littleton Warth on November 15th; Two at Oldbury Power Station on  December 8th.

 

Severnside	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Total
	1	1	-	2	1	-	5	3	1	4	1	1	20

 

2002:

At Oldbury Power Station: One was present on November 17th and December 24th.

 

Severnside	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Total
	1	1	1	1	2	1	1	1	1	-	1	1	12

 

2001:

At Oldbury Power Station: A single bird flew up river on December 2nd.

 

Severnside	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Total
	7	5	4	-	2	-	4	3	5	-	28	15	73

 

2000: (c.10)

At Oldbury Power Station: Single birds were seen from August 26th - 28th, September 10th, November 24th & 26th and December 22nd; At Littleton Warth: One was present on September 18th; On Severnside: Single birds were noted on three dates in August, October 20th - 22nd and regularly between November 4th until December 27th; Three were seen on November 11th; One was seen on several dates at Orchard Pools.

 

1999: (c.7)

At Oldbury Power Station: A juvenile was present from September 3rd - 19th and was joined by a second on September 5th; On Severnside: Individuals were logged on April 30th, May 2nd, July 30th - 31st, August 14th & 23rd, September 26th and December 14th.

 

1996: (c.5)

Single birds were noted at Oldbury Power Station on August 10th & 15th and December 8th (also seen at Littleton Warth on December 8th; On Severnside individuals were seen on August 2nd, 8th & 9th, October 23rd and December 8th, 26th & 28th.

 

1995: (2)

One was present for around a week in late January and early February at Cromhall in flooded fields, and again from March 9th until at least March 15th; One was present to the south-west at Severn Beach on September 24th.

 

1994: (1)

One was seen on August 16th on Northwick Warth.

 

1993: (c.6)

One was seen on Northwick Warth on May 24th. This occurrence constitutes the first report of this species in S. Gloucestershire. One was noted at Oldbury Power Station on July 23rd and represents the first record for this site; One was noted at Oldbury Power Station on August 17th with two present on August 18th; One was seen at New Passage on August 18th - 19th and at Severn Beach on August 19th; Single birds were seen at both Oldbury Power Station and Severn Beach on August 22nd; Three were present on Northwick Warth on August 25th.

 

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