Country diary: A little egret does its best impression of a gull

Sandy, Bedfordshire: These shapeshifters are fascinating to watch, and this one did something I'd never seen before A shapeshifting bird has descended on our stretch of the River Ivel. It turns heads, commands attention, and fits the descriptions of both dainty and dumpy. My eyes lifted the other day from a pair of swans scudding across the mill pool towards the far side, where the river resumes its narrowed course. There was white beyond white, a little egret poking around the margins with such assurance and precision that it reminded me of a decisive shopper - one of those, one of those and, yes, I'll take two of those.Over the winter, egrets were jittery, flighty visitors here, apt to lift off and swirl in agitation whenever I came into view. But this one, closer than any hitherto, once I had walked along the bank to confront it, was unfazed. Continue reading...