Keith Clack of the Oxford OrnithologicalSociety welcomes new British bird species

There is, of course, much discussion on the effects of climate change, particularly regarding wildlife and there are other factors involved such as habitat loss and farming methods.

It’s well documented that Britain is losing large numbers of its native birds, due to a mixture of all three problems and in Oxfordshire we are now on the very brink of losing willow tit and turtle dove as breeding species with only one known pair of each and these may well no longer be breeders, simply ‘hanging on’ in their regular sites.

Although of little comfort as far as these two species are concerned, we are, however, gaining other visitors from warmer, Mediterranean, regions and one, the little egret, is now breeding in the county.

Of its two cousins, the great white egret is becoming a regular visitor to the county, while the cattle egret is appearing in neighbouring counties with increasing regularity and numbers.

It was in the late 1990s that I travelled to the South Coast to see my first little egret, and very exotic it seemed with its pure white plumage, black legs and yellow feet.

It was an exciting bird for me to catch up with then, little realising that within 15 years I would be able to see almost 20 birds roosting in a tree at Otmoor and an adult pair with three juveniles at another site in the county.

Such is the speed of their spreading that in Birds of Oxfordshire, Brucker, Gosling and Heryet record that it was a very rare vagrant with “just one record” on Port Meadow in 1988. However, they also record that “as a result of increased sightings in the UK it is likely that more will occur in Oxfordshire”.

Breeding little egrets grow long white trailing plumes from their crowns, and it’s an amusing sight to watch as they dance frantically on tiptoe chasing fry in the shallows with their plumes streaming behind.

In Victorian times, the British hat industry imported various bird plumes, egrets included, and many millions were killed annually for this purpose. It became so controversial that a group of ladies from Manchester formed The Society for the Protection of Birds to draw attention to this carnage. This move was so successful that within 20 years the society evolved into the RSPB as we know it.

Our second pure white egret is the great white, and great it is, being just about the same size as our grey heron in both height and wingspan.

Normally spending much of its time in warmer climates and wintering as far off as Africa, it’s now an established bird in Britain and has colonised the Somerset Levels, where there are thought to be upwards of six pairs now breeding. These have been so successful, and with more birds joining them from the continent, that 24 of them were recently seen together on nearby Chew Valley Lake.

Apart from its enormous size, the great white egret has a very noticeable, yellow dagger- sized bill, which turns partly black during the breeding season.

We have had two birds in the county over the past few weeks, moving between Windrush valley gravel pits and they were seen together very recently on one of the islands at Dix Pit where it’s been great to compare them with their smaller cousin and our own Grey Heron and it seems likely that they will settle somewhere permanently within the next few years.

Our third and final white egret is the cattle egret, still uncommon in the UK, but also increasing in sightings and numbers with six recently seen together in Gloucestershire so we should hope to see one or two visit the county where there has only been one recorded sighting, at Dorchester.

Although uncommon in the UK, it’s the world’s most widespread member of the family, inhabiting countries and continents from Australia to the Americas.

It’s the smallest of our trio with a yellow bill and sometimes orange crown and breast patch, often perching on the back of cattle and other large mammals, picking off insects on and around them, indeed, every Cattle Egret I’ve seen in Britain has been in a large field of cows!!!

Oxfordshire is blessed with ideal habitats for all three of our egrets, so wrap up warm and head off to find one of our new British birds.