I saw this caption in today’s Irish Times.
I have only seen one Little Egret and that was at Timoleague, County Cork, Ireland. Little Egrets were considered unusual, but regular along the south coast of the island, but I guess they have expanded even further north and a January sighting near Dublin, I assume is a significant find. It may also help to explain why Little Egret has recently shown up in the Canadian maritime provinces and why Western-Reef Heron has shown up along the Eastern Seaboard as well. It will be really interesting to see where things are in about twenty years to see whether this is a short term expansion or a long term change.