Cattle Egret, Whangaehu Beach Rd

[Peter Frost]

33 cattle egrets, 10 of which were in breeding plumage, seen foraging in pasture near the junction of Whangaehu Beach Rd and Bagotts Rd, about 700 m down from SH3 at Whangaehu. This is the largest number at this regular wintering site for some years, other than the 32 seen 1.7 km further down Whangaehu Beach Rd earlier this year (2 August 2015). Over the past few years, maximum numbers recorded each year have fluctuated from 3 (2010) to 16 (2009). A maximum of 40 were recorded by Sav in July/August 1999, and B. MacNab recorded 32 there in 1993.

Peter

[Paul Gibson]

Thank you Peter for the report - we called by this afternoon and found the birds, just a bit further down the road. Some are quite coloured up in breeding plumage, as you mention. This morning we also saw five cattle egret behind Foxton town - over the other side of the river loop. One white heron is also in the area behind the town.

[George Hobson]

Why can't these be reported closer to wellington?!?!?!?!

[Michael]

Why can't these be reported closer to wellington?!?!?!?!

I saw a whole bunch of them in Hawke's Bay so there is another group for you too check out

[Paul Gibson]

This afternoon we saw at least 22 cattle egrets about 2 km up the Whangaehu Beach Road, from SH3. Whangaehu is about 15 minutes south of Whanganui.

[Paul Gibson]

Yesterday afternoon, August 20, we found 25 cattle egrets along the Whangaehu Beach Road, in their usual area. The farmer came along and suggested we drive across the farm to get a bit closer, which we did, but this group are very wary and did not let us get anywhere near them. A distance photo is below, showing part of the group, and one kingfisher!

[jimmifinn]

Cattle Egret on the rim of a water trough, with one of five White-faced Herons.

Cattle Egret Whangaehu Beach Road IMG_2171.jpg (155.51 KiB) Viewed 2387 times

This afternoon May 12, I traveled down Whangaehu Beach Road, checking for the presence of Cattle Egret. A farmer at the end of the road said there was one with his cows that morning and he had seen twenty back along the road 'a little while ago'. I couldn't find the one with his cows but as I returned there was a single Cattle Egret sitting on a water trough near the 44010 milking shed about 2km down Whangaehu Beach Road. It was a good distance off the road, but I will post a cropped image of the egret which was with five White-faced Herons waiting for the cows to come in for milking. As the cows left the shed after milking, to return to their paddock, the egret followed them.

Jim Norris

[jimmifinn]

Two Cattle Egrets on a fence railing behind the milking shed 2km down Whangaehu Beach Road at 3.10pm this afternoon. When the cows came in for milking they moved to a distant water trough, two paddocks behind the shed.

[jimmifinn]

Four Cattle Egrets on the usual Whangaehu Beach Road farm this afternoon at 3.30pm. This is the first time we have see them this year and they were not seen at all in this usual site during 2022.

Today they were not with the dairy cows, but on a water trough and a nearby gate, behind a large flock of Black-backed Gulls (110 birds) that were settled in a recently grazed dairy pasture.

Jim Norris

[Paul Gibson]

Today there was five cattle egret (five have been seen for the last three days) on the dairy farm in their usual location where they have frequented for many years. The location is approx 1.6 kms down the road from SH3, on dairy land opposite the Fonterra farm number 44011. They move around quite frequently and are often a distance back from the road. There were 100s of black-backed gulls in the vicinity, but the cattle egret can often be spotted as they rest on gates, posts or water troughs.

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