Amazingly, a Cattle Egret appeared in Nelson yesterday. It was well outside its normal range. It was also in its breeding plumage.
I have seen the Cattle Egret once before, but a long way from here. It was (appropriately) feeding on cattle’s parasites. I start with an earlier picture because it is seen here in its non-breeding plumage.
A Cattle Egret on cattle in Maui in November 2016 lacks its breeding plumage.
A Cattle Egret in Nelson in breeding plumage was first spotted by Sachi Snively.
It spreads its wings in peparation to flying.
And takes to the air, but does not go far. Photo by Dorothy.
From postings on e-Bird, it appears that one Jakob Dulisse was the first to announce to the world the presence of a Western Cattle Egret at the Nelson Waterfront on Friday, June 6th at 8:48 AM. whereas my signal from Sachi Snively is time-stamped at 12:38 PM and I sent the word out to the broader world after confirmation at 1:18 PM:
https://ebird.org/hotspot/L490060/recent-checklists
The Western Cattle Egret is a fine example of an armchair lifer. The distinction between Eastern and Western Cattle Egrets was only confirmed in 2023. It is interesting to note that only one twitcher in Nelson seems to care about the breach in nomenclature while others will upbraid anyone who speaks of the Winter Wren or the Pacific-slope flycatcher. Experts are also human.
Thank you for sharing this rare sighting!
I so appreciate knowing/seeing this beautiful bird, not seen since years ago in E. Oregon’s Malheur National Wildlife Refuge!