Great White Egrets, Ardea alba, are impressive birds. They’re much bigger than a Grey Heron and stunning in flight. Just look at this one:
I love to see them arrive at the lake. We’re at Lago di Alviano, one of my favourite places. The light is fabulous and reveals the structure of their flight feathers perfectly:
As one takes off it extends its neck. I’ve never seen anything like it before:
I suspect there’s a fish in the middle of that neck. It’s a long way to its stomach.
I’m pleased with my photos so I decide to post one on the Facebook group for the lake. I use my best Italian and type Airone bianco maggiore, the Italian name of the Great White Egret. Facebook translates this into English for me and instead of Great White Egret, it thinks what I’ve written is Major White Airplane.
It’s not far wrong.
More from Lago di Alviano
Osprey kerfuffleI'm walking along the path by the side of the Lago di Alviano in Italy when I hear a kerfuffle on the other side of the lake. I can see a large bird being mobbed by Hooded Crows. I can tell from the way it's flying, and by the fact… read more
PettirossoThe name of the European Robin in Italian is il pettirosso. It means Red Breast. The scientific name of the Robin is Erithacus rubecula. Rubecula means Little Red. Hello Little Red. read more
SpatolaThe Eurasian Spoonbill, Platalea leucorodia, is called La spatola in Italian. Italians clearly think it's a spatula and not a spoon. The adults have a fabulous crest, just like this one. I'm slightly obsessed with them, so it was good to finally see one at sunset at Lago di Alviano. read more
A Poiana from the hideItalian bird hides seem to be so much better than ones in the UK. Why should that be? Has no-one in the UK visited other countries to see how great their designs are? Do we not care about design? Do we just go for economy and build the simplest of… read more
Serins like a banana toffee whirlThere's a bird singing like a Canary at the top of a tree at Lago di Alviano. It has the colours of a banana toffee whirl. Do you remember those, or were they just a feature of my childhood? Last time I saw a Serin I checked the RSPB's website… read more
Scoiattolo!There's a Squirrel up in the trees here at Lago di Alviano. It must be Red Squirrel, because we've seen them here before: I'd recognise those ears anywhere: Cute, aren't they? Today's Squirrel has got the same distinctive ear tufts. It's up high in a tree snacking on seeds: We… read more
LucherinoThe Siskin, or Lucherino, as it's known in Italy, is a beautiful, tiny finch. It has gorgeous green colours, a forked tail and is as fierce as it is small. Here's a female on a perch outside the small birds hide at Lago di Alviano in Italy. It's not a… read more
Great and spottedWe've been spotted. There's a Great Spotted Woodpecker living its adventurous life nearby. Great Spotted Woodpeckers are large woodpeckers to us. They're actually only medium sized woodpeckers, it's just we don't have any of the large ones in the UK. Great Spotted Woodpeckers are closely related to Syrian Woodpeckers. They… read more
A Pygmy Cormorant stuffing itself stupidThere's a Pygmy Cormorant, Microcarbo pygmaeus, swimming and diving on the lake. It's too far away for a decent photograph as the hide we're sitting in is 70 metres away from the far bank and Pygmy Cormorants are, well, small. It's when it pops up nearer with a huge fish that I… read more