Little Egret

I am convinced that there is always SOMETHING  that makes
a day an interesting one.
Today, I was sure,  it wasn't going to be one of those days, 
That was until  Carys from the large cottage on London Road knocked on the side window of the cottage just before dusk.
She told me that one of my hens was unwell and sat outside our garden gate
So I duly went out and found this little chap sitting quietly in the snow

He's dreadfully light, exhausted and a long way from home
But is one of the most beautiful things I have seen in a long long time


57 comments:

  1. Ain't he sweet? And has the luck to find himself in the world's most caring domain, bless him.

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    1. I doubt he will survive , but I have put him in a warm spare hen house with food and water for the night

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  2. He knew where to go, didn't he?

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  3. Anonymous5:05 pm

    He may not be far from home John- little Egret's breed in Wales and are protected under the 1981 wildlife act so probably best to contact your local BTO or RSPB centre and ask their advice.

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    1. I will if he survives the night....there is a wildlife rescue centre in greenfield, which is only a few miles away

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    2. Anonymous6:59 pm

      Perfect. Fingers crossed for the little one :o)

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  4. Hope he survives...real beauty

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  5. awww what a beautiful Egret. Hope he (?) survives the night.

    cheers, parsnip

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  6. OMG, you make me long for seeing them this spring, just for a few days. A smart little chap to find you; I hope he makes it.

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  7. Oh wow, imagine that Little Egret just knew where to land when in distress. I hope it makes it through the night. You have a heart of gold, John. xx

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  8. Poor little chap. Hope he's got enough left 'in the tank' to make it through the night.

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  9. I hope he makes it through til morning and can be looked after until he's well. A beautiful creature.

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  10. John - we saw one on our beck last week. I agree they are very beautiful. I do hope he survives - they are gradually colonising here and are already up in North Yorkshire, so should not be all that unusual in Wales. If he survives try contacting the RSPB.

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  11. Such a beautiful creature, we used to see them in Devon, I hope that the poor little thing can make it through the night.

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  12. Fingers crossed he makes it through. It seems your location is on the 'distressed bird' grapevine.

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  13. Are there any obvious injuries John ? They eat fish ! Get yourself to the fish counter at sainsburys or morrisons for some fresh fish

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    1. I've given him some water and watered down cat food via a syringe but didn't do too much I case I over stressed him...... Hopefully a warm night my help...I doubt it though

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  14. Like you say ~ something special for your day.

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  15. Oh my, he is beautiful. Fingers crossed little chap.

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  16. Anonymous7:54 pm

    Fingers crossed he does well for you. What a beautiful wee soul.

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  17. Last year we had some Egrets on our loan and ny grandson told me that we should look also for smurfs who come with them.

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  18. I love Egrets - one of my fave birds. I wonder where he has come from? xxx

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  19. He knew where to go for help.

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  20. Fingers crossed for him.

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  21. Beautiful indeed, hope he makes it.

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  22. Such a beautiful creature, hope he makes it.

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  23. I hope he makes it.

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  24. He/she knew where to go for help.

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  25. Well tomorrow's blog post already has a topic. Best wishes for the little guy.

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  26. I don't know how anyone could mistake a white egret for a sick hen. It must be very weak to let people near it let alone pick it up. Do you have an Audubon Society number you could call for assistance? You want to be very careful that it is not sick from avian flu or a virus that is contagious to people & your other birds. Audubon has helped me rescue injured birds a number of times & they usually have medical attention available for birds like this beauty.

    I live across from a wildlife estuary and there is a white egret that sit way up at the top of an old pine tree each morning, usually eating a fish it has caught in the nearby river. You see both blue & white egrets commonly where I live, even in the urban areas. I hope this one makes it.So much for not taking in any more creatures.

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    1. Ellen he's seoerated from the hens. I was sure to wash my hands after touching him, and have kept contact with him to a minimum

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  27. If he has any energy at all John, watch your eyeballs in relation to that beak A fellow biologist had a bad experience with a green heron. Have you tried feeding him? A few small raw fish dipped in water and held in forceps or chopstick in front of his beak might tempt him to eat before you can get him to the rehabbers. Energy and water he will need now that he is sheltered. Good job.

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    1. I was conscious of that beak!

      I've fed him a little watered down cat food via a syringe, but kept it to a minimum

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  28. Amazing - good luck with nursing him back into health, but I know you are pragmatic and... good at it!

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  29. John take care of him like I know you will they are so precious - how amazing that he should find his way to you and your flock

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    1. Jane
      He was literally a few feet from my back door

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  30. How beautiful. And very fitting that he should find you John. X

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  31. Brought tears and reminder to self to look for those surprises. I've been out of the habit.
    XO
    WWW
    Let us know how the wee babe is doing.

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  32. I know you will give him the best care you can, John. Fingers crossed for the little guy.

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  33. I do hope he makes it. No doubt he found the best home in which to spend the night.

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  34. "Dreadfully light" doesn't bode well. But, where there's life, there's hope, and at the very least, he knows someone cared enough to find him a warm place and some food and drink for the night.

    On one of our sailing trips, we had a yellow-headed blackbird land on the boat and stay for a bit. He nearly clipped Himself's shoulder when he came in to land. He was miles away from his usual range (1500-1800 miles), and we scattered some seed and bits of bread we had and set out a dish of water for him. After about a half hour, he explored a bit of the boat, flew to a couple of lines, and then sat on the rail. Then he had some flights out over the water and back to the boat.

    When we were about 1.5 miles from land, he eyed the trees and flew off.

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  35. I think a little birdie told him where he could find a home.

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  36. He knew where to go to have the best chance. Keep us posted and we'll send good thoughts!

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  37. Fingers, toes and eyes crossed for him.

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  38. People seem to be finding them everywhere. I recently saw a whole field full of Egrets; I wonder why they've suddenly decided to become Europeans. Global warming perhaps?

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  39. This beautiful beleaguered birdie came to the right place, John. Best of luck with the new patient.

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  40. He knew where to collapse didn't he ?

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  41. I do hope he has survived the night. I often see little egrets on my morning walk next to the River Lea a few miles south of Luton. ( and a Kingfisher yesterday too!)

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  42. Wonderful that he found you. I do hope he survived the night.

    I saw a huge blackbird in the sea at Llandudno yesterday, diving and staying under the water for ages, it was almost swan sized but definitely NOT a swan. I am convinced it was a Cormorant. Have you any idea if they are known to visit Wales at this time of year ... I though I'd ask seeing as how you are branching out into wild sea birds ;-)

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    1. Cormorants are common up here sue.....you see a lot between colwyn bay and rhos on sea

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    2. Thank you, then I was right, he was fascinating to watch.

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  43. He knew where to go for help, obviously. Not a bad thing to be: a guardian angel of birds.

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  44. John, as much as I think the little guy/girl was lucky to find you ... the important bit in this post for me was the first line.........how wonderful to find something interesting in every day and to be such an optimistic caring person......you're a goodun.x

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  45. What a beautiful bird, I hope he survives & recovers enough to be on his way. Landed at the right house for a bit of help I think!

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  46. He's beautiful! Can you try giving him some watered down mushed up fish? Tuna or salmon out of a tin? For the rest he needs and DARKNESS and as little as human voice possibly. Sorry to be barging in, but I rescued quite a lot of birds. Apart from exhaustion, stress is the main threat. I'm sure you know all this already, but I just say it anyway. Good luck, John!

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  47. He was obviously guided by a benevolent 'hand' to your garden.

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