Cattle Egret, Whangaehu Beach Rd

[jimmifinn]

One of the two Cattle Egrets with the cows on Whangaehu Beach Road, 30 April 2024

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This afternoon my wife and I drove down Whangaehu Beach Road, checking for any sign of Cattle Egrets. A group regularly winter on Dairy Farm with the Fonterra number 44010 and usually arrive mid-May.

We found two egrets with some cows, distant from the road. Later they moved to join three White-faced Herons at a water trough but were extremely wary and quickly seemed to realise we were watching them from the road. Eventually they moved away to a more distant paddock.

Last winter before they returned, presumably to Australia, there were 11 egrets associating with the cows on this farm. 30 April is earlier than I have seen them arrive in previous winters.

Jim Norris

[jimmifinn]

This afternoon, 20 May 2024, at 3.00pm there are now four Cattle Egrets on Farm 44010 on the Whangaehu Beach Road. This is an addition of two egrets since the most recent sighting, by Peter Frost on Friday 17 May. It is possible more will arrive over the next month or so.

Jim Norris

[jimmifinn]

Four Cattle Egrets and a White faced heron roosting on a farm water trough.

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Yesterday, 24 May 2024, there were six Cattle Egrets with the dairy herd on Farm 44010, Whangaehu Beach Road. With Paul Gibson, we found four roosting on a water trough and two on the pasture near the cows. It is quite usual to find these egrets roosting on the farm water troughs, but yesterday was the first time we had seen them drinking from the water.

After we had been watching them for about 15 minutes, they flew across the road to join with a herd of cows on the neighbouring Farm 44011.

Jim Norris

[Paul Gibson]

This morning there were 7 cattle egrets, in their well known location. They allowed us very close, so some top pictures. The location is about 15 minutes south of Whanganui.

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[jimmifinn]

Paul Gibson and I checked the Cattle Egrets on Whangaehu Beach Road yesterday, 12 September. There are now 8 egrets on farm 44011 and hanging with the dairy cows. Three of the birds are starting to show some orange breeding plumage.

Jim Norris

[jimmifinn]

Four of the Cattle Egrets. Two showing breeding colours.

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Yesterday, 19 September, Graham Guy and I found the cattle egrets well back from the Whangaehu Beach Road. Unusually they were in an empty paddock without the dairy cows that can make viewing them difficult.

There was light rain at the time but that seemed to result in the egrets being more settled than usual. They didn't lift until a dairy worker drove through their paddock to get another herd for the milking shed.

There are still the eight birds we have been seeing recently and two of them are quickly gaining some of the orange colours of their breeding plumage.

Jim Norris

[jimmifinn]

Five of the cattle egrets hanging with a hereford bull.

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The eight Cattle Egrets are now all showing orange breeding colours. One has only a little colour but the other seven are looking colourful. Yesterday, 1 November 2024, they were associating closely with three Hereford bulls on the farm which they return to each year for our winter season.

Jim Norris