# wading bird ID?



## wilkinss77 (Sep 23, 2008)

whilst on the bus yesterday i saw 2 wading birds in benfleet creek while the bus was parked at the adjacent bus stop. they were white, had long s-shaped necks, long pointed beaks & long thin legs, and walked with heads jerking back & forth. they were, i'd guess, about 15'' tall. when they flapped their wings, the wings had squared-off tips. any ideas what they were? they stood out cos they were the only ones of their kind in the creek- all the other birds were terns and gulls. couldn't get a pic as my camera phone's battery was dead! they put me in mind of herons in their general appearance, but were much smaller, the wrong colour, & benfleet creek is marine. could they be little egrets?


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## varanus87 (Jan 30, 2012)

wilkinss77 said:


> whilst on the bus yesterday i saw 2 wading birds in benfleet creek while the bus was parked at the adjacent bus stop. they were white, had long s-shaped necks, long pointed beaks & long thin legs, and walked with heads jerking back & forth. they were, i'd guess, about 15'' tall. when they flapped their wings, the wings had squared-off tips. any ideas what they were? they stood out cos they were the only ones of their kind in the creek- all the other birds were terns and gulls. couldn't get a pic as my camera phone's battery was dead! they put me in mind of herons in their general appearance, but were much smaller, the wrong colour, & benfleet creek is marine. could they be little egrets?


Sounds like a lil egret ....I'm not twitcher but I'm sure a ornothogist will b along soon


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## wilkinss77 (Sep 23, 2008)

varanus87 said:


> Sounds like a lil egret ....I'm not twitcher but I'm sure a ornothogist will b along soon


thought it might be- it's the only uk bird i could find on yahoo, that looks anything much like the ones i saw.


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## varanus87 (Jan 30, 2012)

wilkinss77 said:


> thought it might be- it's the only uk bird i could find on yahoo, that looks anything much like the ones i saw.


Most likely as the colonise frequently ...:whistling2:


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## spottymint (Oct 3, 2010)

If it's white & looks like a small white heron, then yes, a little Egret.

The RSPB: Little egret

BBC Nature - Little egret videos, news and facts


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## Jo-nin (Sep 8, 2011)

Egrets? I've had a few, but then again, too few to mention...:lol2:


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