Little Egret on Bank's Marsh near Southport

As a bonus to seeing the Ross's Goose mentioned in my previous post, I walked a little further round the sea wall at Banks and saw this beautiful Little Egret taking off. 

Little Egret are small, all-white herons with black legs, yellow feet, and a black bill. They are native to warmer climates but have expanded their range, possibly due to climate change, into the UK. The first significant numbers appeared in the UK in 1989, with the first successful breeding in Dorset in 1996. 

Although once a highly switchable bird, Little Egrets are now a common sight in the UK, particularly around the coasts and estuaries of southern England and Wales, after a range expansion from continental Europe. They first bred in the UK in 1996 and are now established with sustainable breeding populations, though they are still expanding their range further north. 

They are now a resident species with sustainable breeding populations in the UK, though their numbers increase in the autumn and winter with arrivals from continental Europe.

Ross's Goose on Crossen's Outer Marsh, Southport

For my first time out birding in a very long time I decided to go to RSPB Marshside in Southport to see the Ross's Goose which had been mingling with the newly arrived Pink-footed Geese for a week or so now.  Unfortunately it was out on Crossen's Outer Marsh making it a touch distant for good photos - It had been on the Inner Marsh where you can get a little closer.

However, it was possible to see the distinctive bill and black wing tip feathers, so I'm happy enough with these shots. It's always difficult to know whether a goose like this is truly wild rather than an escaped bird, but after talking to several people about this, I'm happy enough to tick it.

Ross's Goose is a white goose with black wingtips and a relatively short neck. It's the smallest of the three white geese that breed in North America. It is similar in appearance to a white-phase snow goose, but about 40% smaller. Other differences from the snow goose are that the bill is smaller in proportion to its body and lacks "black lips". 

After spending some time photographing the goose from the wildfowler's pull-in just off Marine Drive, I decided to of round to Banks and walk along the sea wall to see if I could get a little closer.  I think I did.