The Lincolnshire Bird Club

3.45pm a Great White Egret down Dunsby Fen in and out of small dyke to the left of Carr Dyke. Can be viewed from bridge over Carr Dyke. Look left.It walked in to dyke so we could no longer see it at 4.00pm but presume it is still there. Other birds in the fen 3 Common Buzzards, 1 Kestrel, 1 Barn Owl, 4 Stock Doves and 14 Tree Sparrows. Private land so if you go please view from the road only.

Ian

Ian do you get many Little Egrets out there?

Great White Egret has been one I've been predicting for Baston & Langtoft Pits all winter, with the newly-dredged Cross Drain holding up to 15 Little Egrets and 7 Grey Herons... hoping it moves a bit further south, although I will have to twitch back from Sheffield!

Hi Josh,

There are usually single Little Egrets there winter and summer - never more than one to date. We think this GWE might have been there a while as one of the local farmers reported a large white heron back in December. The dykes are very deep and frankly if it does not come out and stand on the bank as this one did yesterday they could hide lots of birds!

Ian

No sign this morning between 8 and 10. By way of compensation; 1 Grey Heron, 1 Woodcock, 1 Common Buzzard, 1 Barn Owl, 1 female Stonechat, 20+ Tree Sparrows.

Ian

1 Great White Egret

Showed well at approx. 13.00hrs today 25th Jan - viewed from bridge at TF 121 266 (look north) - the bird flew several times during the hour I was there and was feeding with Wood Pigeons in game cover at one point. Also, spent sometime in grass field - never actually went into the dyke?

Also:

1 Barn Owl
1 Buzzard
c20 Tree Sparrows
c30 Yellowhammer
c30 Chaffinch
1 Kestrel
1 Sparrowhawk
1 Little Grebe
2 Moorhen
c1000 Wood Pigeons

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Andrew Chick
Website: http://www.forktail.co.uk/

Also relocated mid-afternoon by one of the local farmers, unfortunately on a part of the fen not visible from the road.

Ian

Relocated by Alec Parker c2.30pm today (Mon).
Viewable (from the minor road running East from Rippingale) from the bridge over the Car Dyke at Map Ref TF 126283. I had good views - looking South - of the bird which was in the Car Dyke.
Pleased to meet up again with Derek Pell.

Regards,

Freddy

PS. Ian's time reference 'mid-afternoon' must have been pre 2.30pm.

The farmer whose land the Egret was on in Dunsby Fen is having a shoot tomorrow, Tuesday, and is very nervous about "hordes of twitchers" descending on Dunsby Fen. I have reassured him that this will not be the case. He farms the land very sympathetically for wildlife, perhaps the reason for the Egret choosing his land, so please stay on the roads and don't park in field entrances.

Hugh

An interesting Birdguides report this evening (SAT) at 1913hrs :

" Great White Egret on Thurlby Fen (S of Bourne) LINCS at 14.20 today - flew West along the River Glen TF 113158."

Regards,

Freddy

Yes, Richard Heath emailed me to say the reserve warden at Thurlby Fen Slipe NR saw it. I suspect last week's shoot disturbed it from Dunsby and it is likely the same bird. Let's hope a few more folk get to see it.

Regards,

Ian

Still in the Katesbridge/Thurlby Fen area on the River Glen this afternoon at 14:50; a subsequent search of a wider area failed to produce it again by dusk but there are so many dykes/ditches/pools for it to be on. 4 Little Egrets knocking about.