Over on my other blog I have been sharing portraits of birds every Monday, and I thought today I’d join in here with this rather fabulous Cattle Egret. I was putting out the washing on our side balcony and happened to look down and spotted it on the wall below.
I suspect it was hunting grasshoppers or maybe even mice. We usually see Bubulcus ibis in meadows or in the hills close to or even on livestock, where they can easily grab insects and worms which the cattle hooves disturb or remove the ticks and fleas from the animals themselves. Perhaps this great working relationship is why these herons have successfully colonised much of the world in the last century.
This one is in summer plumage and so relatively easy to identify, but in the winter months you may find yourself looking more closely at their yellow beaks and brown/grey legs in order to distinguish them from the little egret. Little egrets are slightly larger than the cattle egret, and have black legs with yellow feet and a black beak.
They are very common in Portugal, particularly south of the Tagus and it is not unusual to see them in large groups of a hundred or more. We’ve yet to be fortunate enough to see them in those numbers but regularly see them in small groups. Visit my post of a walk along the banks of the Guadiana when I captured around a dozen of them in a tree.
I love him so much he’s going to be my ‘Share Your Desktop‘ for the next month. Thanks again to Clare for encouraging us since last year to both change and share our desktops. Clare’s is not the only blogging challenge I am linking with today and some of you may have already guessed the second challenge by the shape of the photograph below.
I am of course taking part in Squares again. I thought the Egret looked rather lovely skulking behind the fruit of the Indian Bead Tree (Melia azedarach).
Great photos!
thank you 🙂
Great capture!
thanks 🙂
Another clear eye. He’ll make a great screen saver. It struck me that it’s a pity he doesn’t like berries though!
Why berries?They are rather in short supply in the Algarve in summer!
Just because it is surrounded by them in this shot! You are right though about them being in short supply.
How’s the summer? Looks like it has been warm to date.
I know, be so much easier if he did!!
You captured its eye superbly in your second photo. Gorgeous 😀
thank you so much Cee – I got carried away with the number of shots I was taking of it. You should see the archives for that day!!
They take lizards hiding in low shrubs below south facing balcony in Olhao.
Egrets common now on Teign and Exe estuaries,while substantial colony of Greater egrets in Somerset levels
ah yes lizards are good to eat too.
Great egrets are spreading. Have you see the flamingo colonies this year, fabulous news they are nesting in Algarve
No, travel restrictions, plus can only get to places on my electric scooter!
Certainly 2/3 distinct groups of flams in Salinas, plus isolated, very pink ones, presumably from the south.
Kestrel nesting in Village Marina and they have put up nesting box.
Spoonbills doing well, but fewer goldfinches and our little owl has found betterfeeding location.
Rabbits increasing again despite cameras neglect.
ah fair enough
Good to learn the kestrels have been given a box. And yay on spoonbills 🙂
Lovely. This chap reminds me of a lovely trio we spotted on our journey back home through Cantabria.
Love the colours Becky 😀😀
We have a species of Ibis here that we call ‘Bin Chickens’ for their prolific habit of raiding rubbish bins. This Bubulcus Ibis is a much more attractive bird. Thank you for sharing and joining in on the fun. I always love your desktop image.
Thanks Clare 😊 yes think these ones are much more well behaved. It looks fabulous on my big screen 😍 thank you so much for making me change
You are most welcome, and I think your Cattle Egret is lovely indeed.
He’s very handsome with his lovely orange beak.
I agee – yhey’re gorgeous when they are in this summer plumage 🙂
Love his slightly grumpy expression in that second one!
hee hee, guess that’s how you feel after finding no grasshoppers!!