Cattle egrets: how changing climate brought a bird of the tropics to UK

These charismatic birds have been called 'climate refugees' and they are now breeding here in large numbersWatch almost any wildlife film set in Africa and you'll see big game animals with small white herons riding on their backs. Cattle egrets were, until a couple of decades ago, very much birds of the tropics, although they also flourished around the Med. Today, in my home county of Somerset, I regularly see flocks of 100 or more, usually feeding around the feet of livestock, and occasionally hitching a ride on their backs.Cattle egrets arrived here in 2008, breeding for the first time in Britain that spring. This was soon followed by the two harshest and coldest winters so far this century. Our local cattle were taken inside and the egrets fled back to the warmer climes of mainland Europe. Continue reading...