A delightful Little Egret near Framilode

After a busy Sunday shop in Gloucester this afternoon, I decided to go for a wander in the car down to the River Severn. The sky was very overcast so I didn't have great hopes for any photos I might take. But by the time I reached the banks of the river at Epney, I was happy to be out in the spring air even if there weren't many exciting birds to watch or things to see.

PS
I have just read on a local bird watching blog that three Cattle Egrets were seen at this place two days ago, as well as several Little Egrets! So there is hope for me to catch them too. Oh dear, I'll have to go back!

I then drove a mile downstream to Framilode Church, a regular haunt of mine, close to where the River Frome, which runs near our house, joins the severn, and where the old Stroudwater canal began. There by the church I watched gulls and heard warblers in the reeds. It won't be long before the martins return to nest in the church tower.

I then thought a further drive to Framilode Passage might be interesting as I hadn't been been there before. A 'passage' was the name for a place where the river could be forded at low tides, or at least a ferry might provide a crossing. The lowest 'passage' on the River Severn is at Aust, close to where the original Severn Road Bridge was constructed. Do you remember that famous photo of Bob Dylan standing at the Aust ferry landing, just before the bridge was opened in 1966, during his UK 'electric' tour?  (NB TMLHereAndThere. in her comment below, suggested linking this short video, which shows the Dylan photo and the scene of the Aust ferry in question!)

In Saul I turned right following the sign to Framilode Passage along Passage road, which is a single track lane. within a few hundred yards I saw the shapes of cows grazing in the meadows behind a thick hedge, and thought I saw a white bird beside a particular cow. I stopped the car rather excitedly because I remembered having been told a couple of years ago that egrets had been seen in the fields near Saul.

Since our trip to Sri Lanka last year, I have become a huge fan of egrets and of cattle egrets in particular. They were very common there but I loved to watch the close relationship between the cows and buffalo and the birds. 

I parked carefully and put my long lens on the camera, but found I could hardly see over the hedge. When I found a gap I was in time to see an egret fly away into the next field beyond. Of course I waited and looked for a better vantage point and was rewarded later with its return and a period of watching it run around the meadow feeding in the grass and catching worms.

Eventually I was ready when it flew away again and by this time I had realised that despite its close presence to the cattle it wasn't a Cattle Egret but a Little Egret. No matter; it was still a delight to watch. I have added a second shot of it near to the cows.