LAST month will be remembered as the month of the egret.

There was an unprecedented influx of Little Egrets into the local area that coincided with a large arrival on the Yorkshire and Cleveland coasts.

Single birds were seen at Bolton on Swale, over Asenby, and near Catterick. Two birds were at Scorton with another two seen on Newsham ponds, and three together at both Belflask and Nosterfield.

However, one of these latter birds attracted particular attention and, at the time of writing, debate was raging over whether this bird may in fact be a juvenile Little Blue Heron. If confirmed, this would be the first ever sighting of this American species in Britain.

Unfortunately, the original observers, while noting its difference from the other Little Egrets present, had not realised the potential significance of their sighting.

It was only the good fortune that Brian Morland took a couple of pictures of a “Little Egret” flying past him at Bellflask that this record was uncovered.

Although adult Little Blue Herons are grey-blue, they are unique in that the young birds are all white, hence the confusion with Little Egrets. As well as being slightly larger and stockier than their European cousins, they also differ from Littles in a stronger, grey-green bill, greenish legs and, on very close observation, small darker tips to the wing feathers.

All of these differences are quite subtle, so separating them in photographs is not straightforward and the jury is currently out.

It’s not impossible, of course, that the bird is still in the area and it goes without saying that I would love to hear from you if you are lucky enough to stumble upon this bird.

The long-staying Crane was another attraction at Nosterfield and was present all month, on occasions showing exceptionally well in front of the viewing screen at Lingham. A Crane seen flying east over Dishforth Airfield may have been this bird on the wander or just possibly a second local bird.

Waders, too, were on the move with the Nosterfield and Newsham Ponds areas, attracting an excellent selection.

These included Whimbrel, Greenshank, Ruff, Sanderling, Wood and Green Sandpipers, Spotted Redshank and a nice flock of eight Black-tailed Godwits, in addition to the resident Avocets.

Other sightings of interest in July included Hobbies at Nosterfield and Croft. The latter bird was undoubtedly attracted by the huge Swallow and House Martin roost near the village, which a local birder estimated at up to 10,000 birds. This is easily the largest gathering ever recorded in this area.

Two Quail were heard calling at Nosterfield for much of the month and Ospreys were seen here and at Newsham.

Three Ravens seen flying over Nosterfield reserve was an unexpected find, as was a Kittiwake and Arctic Tern together on Newsham Ponds.

It’s also worth mentioning the influx of Hummingbird Hawk Moths, which we saw the early signs of in late June. Some impressive numbers were recorded in July with more than two dozen sightings in the Vale of Mowbray alone.

Looking ahead to August, this marks the peak of wader migration and one of the best months for finding a rarer species, with recent Augusts turning up rarities such as Red-necked and Wilson’s Phalarope, Temminck’s Stint and Pectoral Sandpiper.

Birds of prey will also be on the move and August is often good for species like Osprey, Red Kite and Marsh Harrier, particularly on sunny days with light winds.

Most of these sightings tend to be made at the local reserves but this really just reflects the number of birdwatchers at these sites and birds can turn up anywhere.

For example, regular watching by David Belshaw at a site overlooking the Hambleton Hills has shown that impressive numbers of birds of prey use this route.

There is also news coming in of a record influx of Twobarred Crossbills to Scandinavia.

The last time there was such an invasion, one bird made it all the way to a bird-table in Bilsdale – so keep your eyes peeled.

􀁥 As ever, I am always very happy to receive your sightings at nick.morgan1@ virgin.net.