Rare cattle egret spotted in skies above Strabane

 

The ‘cattle egret’, a cosmopolitan member of the heron family more commonly found in the tropics, subtropics, and warm-temperate zones, has taken up temporary residence near Strabane Canal.

 

Slightly smaller but much rarer than the little egret, cattle egrets are, according to the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) visiting the UK in increasing numbers.

 

“They often spend time close to livestock and grab insects and worms which their hooves disturb,” the RSPB website explains. “Cattle egrets have yellow or greyish legs and a yellow beak, compared to the black legs (with yellow feet) and black beak of the little egret.”

 

However it’s almost a decade since any of the birds were spotted by local twitchers.

“This cattle egret has been near the Strabane Canal now for more than a week,” photographer, Brian Hegarty explained this week. “It comes from Africa (and) a good few sightings of it has been seen in Ireland and the UK over recent years . The last time one was seen near this spot was eight years ago.”

 

Sion Mills man Brian Hegarty works with the NI Raptor Study Group and Ulster Wildlife.

He continued, “As far as I know some are breeding in the south of England.”