Wintering Little Egret on Arran

Reports

Is Little Egret about to colonise Arran as a breeding species? It is certainly now well established as a wintering species.

Little Egret used to be a rare bird in the UK. Following an expansion across Europe, Little Egret first appeared in the UK in significant numbers in 1989 and first bred in Dorset in 1996. In Ireland it first bred in 1997, the first in Wales was 2002, and the first breeding record in Scotland was as recent as 2020 and that was in Dumfries and Galloway.

The first Arran record was a single bird on Sliddery Shore on 1 July 2013. It did not linger. The second record was four years later in 2017, and this bird lingered from Friday 4 August to Monday 7 August mainly in Sandbraes. Since then, the number of records has built up. In 2020 there were twenty reports, in 2021 there were seventy-four reports, in 2023 there were one hundred and thirty-seven reports and in 2024 there were two hundred and fifty reports.

In November 2024, sixty reports of Little Egret were received from all round Arran’s coast. This is an increase on the twenty-three reports that were received in 2023. In November 2024 three of the reports were of three Little Egret together , thirteen reports were of two birds together and the rest of the reports were of single birds. On 24 November 2024 there were reports of three at Merkland Point, two at Cordon and two at South Carlo and one at Lochranza. I know they can fly, and some birds may be appearing in more than one report. From the November information I felt that there were at least three Little Egret on Arran but there could be more. In the “Banner” November Bird Notes I asked that all sightings of Little Egret were reported to me, encouraging people to report the time of their sighting as well as the date and the location.

The response was encouraging. In December 2024 seventy-three reports of Little Egret were received from twenty-two different locations all around Arran’s coast. This is an increase on the forty-one that were received in December 2023. In December 2024 seven of the reports were of three Little Egret together, eight were of two birds together and the rest of the reports were of single birds. On the 31 December three were reported at South Carlo, a further two were reported at Merkland Point and one in Corrie. From the timing of these reports, there are at least six Little Egret on Arran, possibly more.

Through the rest of the winter, I am anticipating further Little Egret reports and some of these will be of Little Egret developing breeding plumage. Little Egret used to be slaughtered for their plumage to decorate ladies’ hats. The delicate feathers on the back of the head, lower throat, and back with the distinctive crown plumes, which can be over ten centimetres long, look better on the birds than on hats. To date no Little Egret have stayed to breed on Arran. In 2023 there were no reports of Little Egret on Arran between the 18 May and 20 August and in 2024 there were no records of Little Egret on Arran between the 20 June and 30 October.

Will 2025 be different?

Will 2025 be the year that Little Egret join our resident Grey Heron in one of our heronries as a breeding species on Arran? Time will tell.