Egrets Everywhere!

I was not long from finishing work tonight when I felt the phone vibrating in my pocket and after a sneaky peak I saw a message from Steve Ashton alerting me to 3 Great White Egrets at Stodmarsh from the Reedbed hide. This has been quite a good year for them in the valley with a bird being present a few weeks earlier but to record 3 in one go is pretty amazing. After speaking to Steve I made my way over to Stodmarsh where I met Mike Gould in the car park. We wandered up to the Reedbed hide where on arrival Steve Ashton, Mark Chidwick and Tim Gutsell were already in position. We did not have to wait that long until 2 Great White Egrets appeared from the reeds and flew a little before dropping back into the reeds. Luckily the time passed quickly as good banter was shared and thankfully not long after the 2 Great White Egrets appeared again but this time flew towards the hide and luckily banked in front of us allowing the cameras to get some action. They soon landed again just out of view but slowly walked into view before once again flying off further away from us. Whilst they did this another Great White Egret appeared over the back of the reeds near the river, yes 3 Great White Egrets in the same area, great stuff. We continued to see them at range flying around for a while, there may have even been 4 of them before we decided to call it a day and head back to the car park. Other bits noted from the hide were 1 Cetti's Warbler, 1 Hobby, 2 Marsh Harrier, 1 Green Sandpiper and a steady trickle of Sand Martins flying west. As I drove back through Stodmarsh a few Swallows were noted. After a day at work being stressed and busy it certainly made the day a little better and brighter.