Sharp-eyed bird lovers may spot an unexpected migrant visiting Aberglasney gardens this winter.
A little egret, a small heron, usually found on the Continent, was spied by gardeners as it made its way through the stream garden at Pigeon House Wood at Aberglasney.
The delicate looking white bird was once a rare visitor to the UK and is easily distinguishable with its black legs and bill and highly conspicuous yellow feet.
Moses Davies from our Flickr group took this photo in wetlands near Llanelli:
The species first appeared in the UK in significant numbers in 1989 and first bred in Dorset in 1996. Little Egrets bred in Wales for the first time in 2002 and have seen the largest increase in overall UK population in the past decade.
One possible explanation may be the run of noticeably mild winter in britain, extending the northern limit of the traditional range of the egret.
Aberglasney's director of operations - Graham Rankin, spotted the bird during his daily stroll through the gardens.
He said: "Aberglasney is well known for its wide variety of wildlife from tulip eating water voles, otters that eat the fish and eels from the pool and migrant birds such as the spotted flycatcher and redstart. Now we can add the Little Egret to the list".
"I first saw Little Egrets at the National Wetlands Centre at Penclacwydd, and last summer on the edge of the Laugharne Estuary but I didn't expect to see one in the gardens at Aberglasney."
Meanwhile at Manorbier beach in Pembrokshire, Joysaphine from our Flickr group spotted another little egret flying over head recently.
