The birth of white herons at wildlife park is proof of global warming say conservation experts.
Staff at Wildwood say climate change has warmed Britain’s climate so much that it is now suitable for little egrets to breed.
The new arrivals at the park near Canterbury can be seen in an environmentally friendly enclosure, where the water is purified and pumped by wind and solar power.
A spokesman said: “Though these beautiful birds are here because of environment change their upkeep within the park is carbon neutral.”
The little egret is a small white heron, with plumes on its head and chest, that lives on marshes and shallow fresh and coastal waters.
Over the last few years has increasingly made its home on British shores.
Numbers of the birds were once pushed to dangerously low levels when its plumes became fashionable for decorating hats in Europe.
They had been used for this purpose since at least the 17th century, but in the 19th century it became a major craze and the number of egret skins passing through dealers reached into the millions.
Hunting had reduced the population of the species to dangerously low levels, and concern about its future was one of thhe factors behind the establishment of the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds in 1889.
The little egret is now protected by conservation laws, and the population has re-established itself.
Wildwood Trust chief executive Peter Smith said: "The little egret is another example of a creature brought almost to extinction by man, yet we have been able to conserve and build the populations by proper conservation and the birth of these chicks demonstrates that the Wildwood Trust, as a charity, is committed to restoring our native and once native species.”
The adult little egret is 55-65cm long, with an 88-106 cm wingspan. Its plumage is all white, and it has long black legs with yellow feet and a slim black bill.
In the breeding season, the bare skin between the bill and eyes becomes red or blue.
Little Egrets are mostly silent but make various croaking and bubbling calls at their breeding colonies and produce a harsh alarm call when disturbed.
The Little Egret nests in colonies, often with other wading birds, usually on platforms of sticks in trees, shrubs, reed beds or bamboo groves.
The three to five eggs are incubated by both adults for 21-25 days to hatching.
Little egrets stalk their prey in shallow water, often running with raised wings or shuffling their feet. They also stand still and wait to ambush a variety of small animals including fish, amphibians, crustaceans, and insects.
The Wildwood Trust aims is to bring back Britain’s true 'wildwood’ by releasing large wild herbivores and developing conservation grazing systems.
Animals that can be seen at the 38 acres of woodland include wolf, beaver, badgers, red squirrel and wild boar.
More information at www.wildwoodtrust.org or telephone 0871 7820081.
POSTED: 06/07/2008 14:00:00
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