Hi everyone!
No, I have not disappeared off the planet; it's all been a terrible rumour, probably started at one of those awful tabloid-type magazines. However, I'm back from all the red carpet events that I had to attend - listen, my life as a celebrity is quite tiring you know - but I've still got Victoria Beckham on the phone half the time wondering when we're going to have dinner together. I like her and everything, but well, she's not as famous as this RSPB blogger. Ha!
So, back to reality... If you've visited Burton Mere Wetlands within the last three months (which let me tell you is far more glamourous than the red carpet) you can't have failed to notice there's been a herd of cows let loose. Many visitors find them strange, or at least amusing, but actually this is a fairly standard part of wetland reserve management.
During the autumn and winter months, the cows are grazed on the wet grassland and main scrape directly in front of the Reception Hide. The cows' serve as giant living lawnmowers, keeping the grass to a desirable length for the birds and preventing too much sedge, rush and even willow from growing. They also churn up the mud at the pool edges, uncovering valuable food sources for the various wading birds here for the winter months.
Admittedly it is a pretty strange sight to see cows wading through the deepest parts of the scrape, especially when they sneak up on your blindside. I always thought the cows would scare all the birds off and they do sometimes scatter when the cows come around especially in the early days, but they usually return to business as usual fairly quickly.
Another great, great, great benefit to having the cattle at Burton Mere Wetlands is that there's every chance of attracting an unusual guest - as occurred in the autumns of 2011 and 2014 - in the form of a cattle egret! Still quite a rarity in the UK, they tend to prefer the warmer climate of continental Europe and through Africa, but just as the little egrets did two decades ago, they are venturing northward in greater numbers and there was even a UK breeding attempt a few years ago.
Cattle egret and cow (S.Ashurst)
When one turned up in mid-September, it was great to have another crowd-pleaser to replace the departing spoonbills. Initially views were limited as it stayed close to the herd and was often hidden amongst tall vegetation before the wardens did the annual autumn mowing. Yet to our great surprise, another four cattle egrets turned up in mid-October, shortly followed by a sixth!
Why and how they all decided to settle here is ultimately a mystery, but testament to the hard work we do to create ideal conditions for wetland birds. We have seen cattle egrets at Burton Mere Wetlands before, but not every year and certainly not this many. They are an absolute delight to see and have caused quite a stir amongst the birders and they've certainly charmed the non-birdwatchers and families who have continued to visit in strong numbers through the relatively mild autumn. With three more long-staying cattle egret at RSPB Marshside on the Ribble Estuary, it is definitely proving a record season for them in the North West and we will do everything in our power - namely keeping the cattle out as long as possible - to ensure they stay on the Dee as long as possible.
Speaking of egrets (hence the title!), we've hit another record at the reserve; a whopping 12 great white egrets were seen scattered across Burton Marsh on October 31! Yet another egret that is historically not known for its distribution in the UK but has recently become an established breeder in the Somerset Levels, the great white egret is easily distinguishable from the other egrets purely by its size, which is similar to the heron.
The autumn and winter months are arguably the best time to visit Burton Mere Wetlands. Our hot chocolate and pellet stove in the Reception Hide are perfect to thaw out during a great day's birding. And although I have mainly focused on the rarer forms of our S-necked friends, don't forget that Burton Mere Wetlands also boasts one of the biggest little egret roosts in the UK, so you'll have no regrets...just egrets! (Groan!)
Two of each great white and cattle egrets (A.Lovatt)
So, that's three different types of egrets on the Dee Estuary reserve at the moment; one, an established breeding species, the other two still relatively rare vagrants yet here in record numbers, and one, the great whites, within our sights to encourage to join the little egrets in their nesting colony soon. Come down and watch the drama unfold, and don't forget to try our catering van - on site Wednesday to Sunday - the soup and hot toasties certainly hit the spot at lunchtime after a couple of hours out on the reserve!