GREAT WHITE EGRET roosts this evening in North Bucks.........

SATURDAY 3 SEPTEMBER

Although mostly overcast and cloudy, temperatures climbed to 75 degrees F today. The wind remained in the southwest.....

Following calls from both Simon Nichols and Steve Whitehouse mid-evening, I made my way over to Linford Reserve in North Bucks, where Alan Nelson had located a GREAT WHITE EGRET - presumably the bird from Northants, last reported at Daventry Reservoir.....

LINFORD RESERVE, NEWPORT PAGHELL (NORTH BUCKS)
(Permit Access Only)

After negotiating the 17 miles of northbound M1 roadworks, I eventually reached Linford Reserve, to the north of Milton Keynes, just before 2000 hours. I made my way directly to the north end of the reserve and from Swans Way, a panoramic view allowed me to watch the egrets fly in to roost. The GREAT WHITE EGRET was still skulking in thick Willow vegetation by Near Hide as I arrived but after a short while, and light rapidly failing, it joined 6 Little Egrets to roost in even thicker vegetation at the northern part of the lagoons and not, as I expected, on the usual heronry island. The Great White appeared to be unringed and was easily recognised by its much larger size and orange-yellow bill. The long legs appeared to be dark and trailed well beyond the body and tail in flight unlike the Little Egrets.

The bird remained on view until 2010 hours before dropping down and out of sight. It is the first Great White Egret I have seen in the county since the elusive and erratic wintering individual in the Chess and Misbourne valleys two years ago.

This may represent yet another opportunity to try and get this species on to the Bedfordshire list as it is assumed that some of the Willen/Linford Little Egrets visit Rookery Pit by day to feed. Let's hope this one makes the short hop............

A Tawny Owl was calling loudly as I made my way back to the car in the dark