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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Environment
Patrick Barkham

‘It feels like a sign’: joy at rise in cattle egrets on wildlife-friendly UK farms

Cattle egrets feeding on Johnny Haimes' farm near Plymouth, Devon
Cattle egrets feeding on Johnny Haimes' farm near Plymouth, Devon. Photograph: Tim Martin

Almost as soon as Johnny Haimes took up regenerative farming – replacing arable fields with herb-rich pasture so cattle could graze outside all year round – a distinctive white bird appeared on his pasture.

Numbers of cattle egrets are booming in Britain, boosted by wildlife-friendly farming where cows are grazed on gentle rotations designed to improve soil quality and boost invertebrate populations.

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