Cattle Egret at Pentney village in Norfolk

Yesterday was my first foray in birding this year and it took me into north Norfolk to try and catch up with the long-staying Pallid Harrier which has been seen close to the village of Flitcham. Mission was accomplished after standing in a rather wet and cold field for 2 and a half hours in order to get views of a rather splendid bird and first life tick of 2016, with the only downside being that the bird was over 300 metres away and refused to come any closer! A Cattle Egret being reported at nearby Pentney GPs caught my attention as I haven't seen one of these birds for a couple of years, so I decided to pay a visit on my way home. After discovering that the bird had relocated to the village, I found its' favoured horse paddocks and there was the bird quite happily following a horse and picking off anything that the animal disturbed. I stayed until the night drew in and when the bird flew, so did I.