Remember the Dainty Footwork sighting of the Little Egret? Imagine my joy when in the same spot, a Great Egret alighted this time and proceeded with much balanced elegance to carefully step among the sunken vegetation and ice floes. I quickly clipped my iphone to my scope and pressed video. He tested each footfall before putting weight on it, and when I zoomed in I could see that he was vibrating his leg in a similar way to the Little Egret. But not quite so vigorously. So, same technique to flush prey? I’d just switched off the camera when this was confirmed. He suddenly froze, swung his fearsome beak round and stabbed into the water, all in a split second. Up it came holding a wriggling Perch, bristling with rage and with its dorsal fin raised in defence. However, with one toss, the fish was swallowed head first, with no risk of getting stuck on its journey down the gullet. If only I’d kept filming …