Rare cattle egrets becoming a more-common sight in island
CLIMATE change is leading to more sightings of cattle egrets in Guernsey, as they struggle to cope in their Iberian home.
The white birds have become a common sight in local fields.
Natives of the Iberian peninsula, they have been attracted north to the British Isles during the winter.
La Societe Guernesiaise conservation officer Jamie Hooper said the birds used to be a very rare sight in Guernsey.
‘Up until the late 1990s and early 2000s, they were a species that if someone reported seeing one, people would try and see it, as it was a rare bird and you would not see another for four or five years.
‘But in the last 10-15 years, the numbers seen here have rocketed. It’s easy to say that’s great, we are getting birds we did not get before, but the flip side is that this is being driven by a changing climate.
‘In the Iberian peninsula, areas are drying out, so they are moving north.
‘It’s easy to say global warming is not bothering me in my lifetime, but it is certainly bothering other species.’
The egrets are often driven to nest in their native Iberian spots, despite the difficulties, but have ended up with a reverse migration, where they are heading north during winter to feed.
Some have now moved their nesting sites to the UK, with the first pair reported in Somerset in 2008.
Since then they have been seen nesting in other areas in the UK. Mr Hooper said at present he was unaware of any nesting here, but the birds are using the island as an important stop-off place to feed.
They are often seen around cows, feeding on flies and insects kicked up by the bovines.
Mr Hooper recently saw four in a field, while another person reported seeing eight.
He said it was possible that the birds could start to breed here, if they could find a quiet, undisturbed site such as an overgrown flooded quarry.
One concern would be if Guernsey had a sharp cold period during the winter, but so far the birds have been doing well in Guernsey.
They are likely to become a rarer sight in the next few months as they migrate south for the breeding season.
The birds are slightly smaller and much rarer than the little egret. They have yellow or greyish legs and a yellow beak.
