Bishop Monkton was twice blessed this week with the sightings in the beck of a lovely Little Egret and a majestic Heron seen fishing yesterday in the beck outside the church. Alongside was a delightful pied wagtail.

The Little Egret was only colonised to the UK in the 1990s, being seen mainly in the South of England. They have gradually made their way north, much to our delight and are now a relatively common sight. They have been recorded here, in Knaresborough and in Harrogate, not forgetting the various nature reserves in the area. The Little Egret was seen here about 2 years ago and it is so good to see its return, shuffling its feet to flush out any prey. They tend to breed in existing Grey Heron colonies, nesting alongside one another.

If anyone manages to take their photographs, please send them to the Editor so we can share the sight with everyone. Thank you.

The above photo was a lovely sighting from Jenny Gordon

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