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Great White Egret

Shaun Stirling
20/09/2020 20:41

I was walking from the little car park at Tomen y Mur near Trawsfynydd today. Approaching Llyn yr Oerfel I startled a large white wading bird from the margins of the lake. I was surprised to see an Egret here but even more surprised when I got my binoculars out. This was a heron sized bird with a long dagger shaped yellow bill and grey legs. Not a Little Egret. I had a quick scroll through the RSPB site and am pretty sure it was a Great White Egret. It was still there after I returned from the hills. It’s prompted me to join and post on this forum and I wondered if anyone else has come across this bird.

  • 21/09/2020 17:56
    I'm sure it's a great white - it certainly sounds like one. I've got no way of knowing whether anyone else has seen it as I'm on the Suffolk coast but you could always Google bird sightings in your part of the world and see if anyone's reported it.

    Welcome to the Community, by the way!

    Our herring gulls are red listed birds.  Think about that the next time you hear some flaming idiot calling for a cull of them.

  • 21/09/2020 20:47
    Yes Shaun I'm with Clare and agree it sounds very like a Great White Egret. I was over at a reserve on Anglesey on Sunday where there was also a Great White seen, not by me sadly but they are around this area.

    Lot to learn

  • 21/09/2020 20:52
    I was hoping a Welsh poster would appear! Is the area Shaun describes on Anglesey?

    Our herring gulls are red listed birds.  Think about that the next time you hear some flaming idiot calling for a cull of them.

  • 21/09/2020 20:55
    No Clare, Trawsfynydd is on the mainland more towards Aberystwyth, Red Kite feeding area!

    Lot to learn

  • 21/09/2020 21:06
    Not too far from Dyfi, either. I haven't been to Bwlch Nant yr Arian for ages - I must get back as and when things get more normal ....... if that's possible.

    Our herring gulls are red listed birds.  Think about that the next time you hear some flaming idiot calling for a cull of them.

  • 21/09/2020 23:01
    Hello everyone
    Thanks very much for your replies. I love it when you get ambushed by a completely unexpected sighting like this. I'm so used to these little mountain tarns being pretty devoid of birdlife so the Egret was quite a shock. An exception are the gull colonies on islands on the little lakes south of Nantgywynant. This lake was quite a bit lower down, about 300m and I guess the Egret was feeding on frogs which can be pretty common here in the warmer months,