It’s once bittern twice spied as birds return

By MATTHEW REVILLE


LARGE numbers of a rare bird that was once extinct in the United Kingdom have settled in a redeveloped old quarry in Peterborough.

Changes to King’s Dyke Nature Reserve have attracted the uncommon bitterns to the site, and they have now been spotted there for the second year in a row.

On Wednesday the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) said young bitterns were sighted there for the first time this year, meaning they are settling and breeding.

The birds – best known for their distinctive ‘booming’ call – have been flocking to the former quarry, as the numbers of the species in the country rise to more than 100 for the first time since 1911.

The location was formerly one of a series of clay quarries just east of Whittlesey.

The pit has been excavated to a depth of 16 metres below sea level but the water is still kept to a low level by pumping.

Hanson Brick, the owners of the site, restored the pit as a 16 hectare nature reserve in 1999, and its lush greenery and lakes make perfect conditions for bitterns.

David Weeks, communications manager for Hanson Brick, said: “It is very good news that the bitterns have been nesting at King’s Dyke.

“There has been an amazing transformation from the old brick quarry into a nationally recognised nature reserve.

“Our volunteers who have put in a lot of time and effort to get to this stage, and the fact it is now attracting bitterns is a great thing.”

King’s Dyke Nature Reserve is not the only revamped quarry to be providing a safe haven for bitterns to nest and breed.

More than 100 have been found nesting in 26 sites throughout England, including Needingworth Quarry, Huntingdon, for the first time ever.

The numbers represent a vast improvement on the overall count of just 11 birds recorded in 1996.

The minerals industry has been at the centre of the push for action to secure the return of the bittern, and the group Nature After Minerals (NAM) has been set up to create a formal link between industry chiefs and the RSPB and Natural England.

They aim to encourage the effective and sustainable restoration of quarries for the benefit of wildlife and local communities.

RSPB Warden, Chris Hudson, said: “Across the county we are losing some species at an alarming rate.

“The mineral products industry is uniquely positioned to step up and help turn this around.

“The Hanson-RSPB projects are a fantastic example of how quarry sites around the country can be restored for the benefit of wildlife.”

Mineral Products Association (MPA) Chief Executive Nigel Jackson said: “Given the right recognition and support, we can achieve a great deal more yet. Protecting and enhancing biodiversity is finally being recognised as one the industry’s hidden benefits.

“As a critical part of the UK’s manufacturing base, we are essential to construction, to the economy and to growth and uniquely placed to make a significant contribution to halting the decline in the UK’s biodiversity.

“Our members already manage or control an area of land that adds up in size to a small national park.”

In October, Hanson finished as runners-up at the MPA’s Restoration Awards Scheme ceremony in London for its work at the Kings Dyke Nature Reserve.

Over 140 species of birds have been recorded on the reserve including raptors, breeding waders and a range of wetland and scrub birds.

What is a bittern
BITTERNS are a thickset heron which is a secretive bird and difficult for even the most seasoned birdwatcher to see.

The small birds have a length of 75cm and a wingspan of 130cm, and can most regularly be seen moving silently through reeds looking for fish.

They have an all-over pale buffy-brown plumage covered with dark streaks and bars.

In contradiction to their secretive appearance, they are easily heard through their remarkably far-carrying booming voice – especially the males in spring.

Bitterns have such a small population they appear on the RSPB’s Red List – meaning they are one of the most threatened in the UK.

Although they are rare, the birds are most regularly seen in the south of England and in East Anglia.

http://www.peterboroughtoday.co.uk/news/environment/it_s_once_bittern_twice_spied_as_birds_return_1_3321212

Bittern: medieval banqueting dish that died due to hunting and loss of habitat

One of the UK's rarest birds, the bittern, is making a new comeback from extinction, after its best year on record led to the numbers of breeding males topping 100 for the first time. Here is a history of the bird.

Britain’s loudest bird was common in west and central Europe up until the 19th century, when many breeding areas were abandoned due to drainage and persecution.

After it was prized as a medieval banquet dish and it was also hit by hunting and the loss of its reed bed habitat as wetlands were drained, became extinct in the UK in 1886.

It managed to recolonise the Norfolk Broads in 1911, but while numbers rose until the 1950s they then crashed once more to a low point in 1997.

The RSPB said the population increase in recent years was down to focused conservation efforts to create and maintain habitat for the species – with measures put in place up to 20 years ago now paying off.

Bitterns are highly secretive wetland birds and live most of their time within dense stands of reed, making them very difficult to count.

But experts say males have an "amazing beatbox ability", in which they fill their gullets with air and released to make a booming "song".

Sometimes its sounds can be heard several miles away, enabling scientists to determine the bird’s population.

But it still is threatened by the reduction in availability and quality of "Phragmites-dominated swamps and other marshes due to drainage and abandonment of traditional uses for reed beds", the RSPB said.
It also faces threats including sea level rise, where freshwater sites along the coast could be inundated by saltwater.

"In the past, continued drainage of land for agricultural uses and excessive water abstraction in the catchment of reed beds reduced the area of reed beds in the UK," a spokesman said.

"The main current threat to the habitat comes from neglect and lack of management, which allows reed beds to dry out and become unsuitable for bitterns."

The bittern is listed on Schedule 1 of the Wildlife & Countryside Act 1981, which "affords it special protection at all times".

"It is an offence to take, injure or kill a bittern or to take, damage or destroy its nest, eggs or young," the RSPB said.

"It is also an offence to intentionally or wrecklessly disturb the birds at or close to their nest during the breeding season."

People convicted face a maximum sentence of up to £5,000 per offence and/or a prison sentence of up to 6 months.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/wildlife/8736666/Bittern-medieval-banqueting-dish-that-died-due-to-hunting-and-loss-of-habitat.html

Bittern rescued from North London road

Why did the bittern cross the road?

During this season of joy and celebration a bittern, one of the rarest and most elusive birds in the UK - has had a happy ending to its brush with disaster.

Known as the "fenman's turkey" roast bittern was once a common meal in this country and would have been part of Christmas dinner until the bird became extinct in the late 19th Century as a result of being hunted for food and the rapid loss and drainage of wetland habitat.

UK Comeback
Bitterns with their spectacular booming call are now making a come-back in the UK, so every bird is critical to the population.

Found on a road in Enfield!
This bittern was found on 23 December stunned and disorientated on a road in the Enfield area of London. Following a phone call from a member of the public he was rescued by the Swan Sanctuary in Shepperton.

WWT London
After returning the bittern to full health the Swan Sanctuary asked WWT London Wetland Centre to help release it back into the wild. Bitterns need ponds and lakes that are free of ice so that they can catch fish and it is likely that during the UK's unusually cold December this one had struggled to find a suitable feeding spot.

It was released at London Wetland Centre on Christmas Eve as the Centre is an ideal place for these members of the heron family. There's a plentiful supply of fish and dense reed beds for the birds to hide in. Up to five bitterns have been spotted on the reserve in one day so far this winter, proving that the Centre is a vital feeding and resting place for these birds.

Swan Sanctuary - Europe's largest waterfowl hospital
Dorothy Beeson BEM, founder of the Swan Sanctuary, said "We chose London Wetland Centre as the place to release this bittern as we wanted to offer it the best environment. It is invaluable to have a wetland reserve in the middle of the capital which is an oasis for wildlife."

Adam Salmon, the Centre's Reserve Manager, said "In winter bitterns will move around seeking unfrozen water with plenty of cover to shelter in nearby. As these birds are already threatened by habitat loss, winter can be particularly tough as they try to find food. Bitterns at London Wetland Centre may have come here from all over the UK and often the continent from places like the Netherlands."

The Swan Sanctuary in Shepperton is Europe’s largest waterfowl hospital. Founded by Dorothy Beeson BEM, the sanctuary is a registered charity dedicated to the care and treatment of swans and waterfowl. Further information can be found at www.theswansanctuary.org.uk .

London Wetland Centre is also a haven for large numbers of ducks, with flocks of over 300 teal and tufted duck on site. The reserve is also a nationally important wintering ground for shoveler and gadwall, making it a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI).

http://www.wildlifeextra.com/go/news/london-bittern.html

Bittern rescued from North London road

Why did the bittern cross the road?

During this season of joy and celebration a bittern, one of the rarest and most elusive birds in the UK - has had a happy ending to its brush with disaster.

Known as the "fenman's turkey" roast bittern was once a common meal in this country and would have been part of Christmas dinner until the bird became extinct in the late 19th Century as a result of being hunted for food and the rapid loss and drainage of wetland habitat.

UK Comeback
Bitterns with their spectacular booming call are now making a come-back in the UK, so every bird is critical to the population.

Found on a road in Enfield!
This bittern was found on 23 December stunned and disorientated on a road in the Enfield area of London. Following a phone call from a member of the public he was rescued by the Swan Sanctuary in Shepperton.

WWT London
After returning the bittern to full health the Swan Sanctuary asked WWT London Wetland Centre to help release it back into the wild. Bitterns need ponds and lakes that are free of ice so that they can catch fish and it is likely that during the UK's unusually cold December this one had struggled to find a suitable feeding spot.

It was released at London Wetland Centre on Christmas Eve as the Centre is an ideal place for these members of the heron family. There's a plentiful supply of fish and dense reed beds for the birds to hide in. Up to five bitterns have been spotted on the reserve in one day so far this winter, proving that the Centre is a vital feeding and resting place for these birds.

Swan Sanctuary - Europe's largest waterfowl hospital
Dorothy Beeson BEM, founder of the Swan Sanctuary, said "We chose London Wetland Centre as the place to release this bittern as we wanted to offer it the best environment. It is invaluable to have a wetland reserve in the middle of the capital which is an oasis for wildlife."

Adam Salmon, the Centre's Reserve Manager, said "In winter bitterns will move around seeking unfrozen water with plenty of cover to shelter in nearby. As these birds are already threatened by habitat loss, winter can be particularly tough as they try to find food. Bitterns at London Wetland Centre may have come here from all over the UK and often the continent from places like the Netherlands."

The Swan Sanctuary in Shepperton is Europe’s largest waterfowl hospital. Founded by Dorothy Beeson BEM, the sanctuary is a registered charity dedicated to the care and treatment of swans and waterfowl. Further information can be found at www.theswansanctuary.org.uk .

London Wetland Centre is also a haven for large numbers of ducks, with flocks of over 300 teal and tufted duck on site. The reserve is also a nationally important wintering ground for shoveler and gadwall, making it a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI).

http://www.wildlifeextra.com/go/news/london-bittern.html

Shy bittern returns after 150 years

An elusive bird that has not been seen on Irish shores in more than 150 years has returned.


The bittern was believed to have become extinct in Ireland but it has been spotted in the Republic, possibly seeking refuge from icy weather in Europe.

In the last week of December, three of the birds were seen at Lake Tacumshane in County Wexford.

But experts believe there could be many more as the bittern is hard to track.

Niall Hatch, development officer with Birdwatch Ireland, told the Irish Times newspaper: "This is tremendously exciting news because bitterns became extinct here in the mid-19th century.

"At least three have been spotted in reed beds at Lake Tacumshane, but there could be many more because it's very difficult to spot them as they are so secretive.

"When they are frightened or startled they point their beak up to the sky, which camouflages them perfectly because their beak resembles a reed bed."

Mr Hatch said the most likely scenario was that the bittern took refuge from freezing temperatures in France and Ireland is the last westerly land mass for them to escape to.

Earlier in December, a bittern was seen in Worcestershire.

Danny Arnold, from the Teme Valley Wildlife Trust said: "I'm sure I won't see this again in my lifetime." The lone bittern has been living and feeding on the River Teme, at Tenbury Wells, since 7 December.

Bitterns are shy, secretive and more likely to be heard than seen.
With their subtle brown plumage, this plump heron-like bird blends almost perfectly into its reed bed habitat. Even when frightened, the bittern stands perfectly still pointing its neck and bill skywards, to look just like a reed stalk.

It is the male's remarkably loud and booming mating call, which can be heard over 2kms away, that announces their presence.

Though found in Europe, North Africa and central Asia, there is only a handful of breeding pairs in Britain that have re-colonised after becoming extinct late in the 19th century.

Shy bittern returns after 150 years

An elusive bird that has not been seen on Irish shores in more than 150 years has returned.


The bittern was believed to have become extinct in Ireland but it has been spotted in the Republic, possibly seeking refuge from icy weather in Europe.

In the last week of December, three of the birds were seen at Lake Tacumshane in County Wexford.

But experts believe there could be many more as the bittern is hard to track.

Niall Hatch, development officer with Birdwatch Ireland, told the Irish Times newspaper: "This is tremendously exciting news because bitterns became extinct here in the mid-19th century.

"At least three have been spotted in reed beds at Lake Tacumshane, but there could be many more because it's very difficult to spot them as they are so secretive.

"When they are frightened or startled they point their beak up to the sky, which camouflages them perfectly because their beak resembles a reed bed."

Mr Hatch said the most likely scenario was that the bittern took refuge from freezing temperatures in France and Ireland is the last westerly land mass for them to escape to.

Earlier in December, a bittern was seen in Worcestershire.

Danny Arnold, from the Teme Valley Wildlife Trust said: "I'm sure I won't see this again in my lifetime." The lone bittern has been living and feeding on the River Teme, at Tenbury Wells, since 7 December.

Bitterns are shy, secretive and more likely to be heard than seen.
With their subtle brown plumage, this plump heron-like bird blends almost perfectly into its reed bed habitat. Even when frightened, the bittern stands perfectly still pointing its neck and bill skywards, to look just like a reed stalk.

It is the male's remarkably loud and booming mating call, which can be heard over 2kms away, that announces their presence.

Though found in Europe, North Africa and central Asia, there is only a handful of breeding pairs in Britain that have re-colonised after becoming extinct late in the 19th century.

Bittern booming at RSPB Leighton Moss

Bittern booming at RSPB Leighton Moss
12/04/2010 18:50:51

April 2010. Staff and visitors at RSPB Leighton Moss nature reserve in Silverdale were cracking open the champagne when they at long last heard the ‘booming' of a bittern from the reeds. This very rare and much loved bird normally ‘booms' to seduce the females on or around Valentine's Day, but this year he lost his romantic streak and boomed much later in the year.

David Mower, the reserve's warden said "We've been eagerly anticipating this fantastic news and are all extremely thrilled! It's been a huge relief to know that there's still a booming male bittern here despite the worst winter weather for many years. The first calls are a bit like a grunt as the birds ‘tune' up, but then build to an impressive ‘booming' call that sounds a bit like a foghorn and can be heard for several kilometers.

David continues, "With a lot of bitterns being seen on the reserve over the winter, we're keeping our fingers crossed that this will be a good year for breeding bitterns."

Extensive reedbedsLeighton Moss is the only place in the north-west where bitterns are known to breed and extensive work to restore and create reedbeds has been carried out in recent years to improve the conditions for these elusive birds which has been part-funded by the EU-LIFE bittern programme and DEFRA.

Extinct in Britain in early 20th Century, the smartly camouflaged brown ‘heron-like' bittern was actually extinct in Britain in the early 20th Century due to the extensive drainage of wetlands. Thanks to the work of the RSPB and other conservation organisations it's been making a slow comeback in recent years. The numbers of booming males in the UK have increased from a worryingly low 11 in 1997 to a record 82 last year - the best number for over 120 years