A Little Egret spotted in the south of the island this week by local birdwatcher Richard Norris is the 4,000th 'wild bird' sighting reported by a member of the public using Manx BirdLife's website this year.
Little Egrets are smaller, all white versions of the Isle of Man's more familiar resident Grey Heron. The exotic-looking egrets have become increasingly frequent migrant and winter visitors to the Isle of Man in recent years as their range has rapidly expanded across the British Isles from the species' historic Mediterranean and Eastern European strongholds.
In addition to public reports using its online form, Manx BirdLife receives regular reports of bird sightings from its army of garden birdwatchers as well as from professional scientists. The data collected provides a valuable picture of the changing fortunes of the island's wild bird populations.
Manx BirdLife is extremely grateful to all those who have contributed their sightings. For more about how you can participate in sending your bird sightings to Manx BirdLife, take a look at our Garden Birdwatch Scheme and online submissions page.
