Egret's arrive

The little egret is a small white heron with attractive white plumes on crest, back and chest, black legs and bill and yellow feet. It first appeared in the UK in significant numbers in 1989 and first bred in Dorset in 1996. Its colonization followed naturally from a range expansion intro western and northern France in previous decades. It is now at home on numerous south coast sites, both as a breeding species and as a winter visitor. It is included on the Amber List as rare breeding species. A recent colonist, it is most commonly found along the south coast, and on parts of the east coast. The estuaries of south Devon and Cornwall; Poole Harbour and Chichester Harbour hold some of the largest concentrations and birds can be seen right round to North Norfolk.