Promised myself a Bittern today but after a bit of searching last night and with the Bittern at Ladywalk showing in the afternoon on Sunday i decided to go for the Worcester Glossy Ibis first thing then the Bittern,it was v.foggy on the river first thing and as it turned out i was looking in the wrong place so i missed the Ibis,but after a chat with a chap also after the Glossy i decided to detour to Worcester cathederal to try for the Black Redstart,which after a bit of a wait i saw up on the roof,also there was the chap who told me about the Redstart originally,he told me the Ibis was there and exactly where to find it,which i did(two life birds,thanks for the tips).I got to Ladywalk in the pm looking for the Bittern and my hattrick of lifers,after two hours in the freezing fog and with the light fading i gave up(apparently it had been doing a Torvill & Dean impression at about 8.30am)Oh well two great life birds in one day i can't grumble can i.
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Two outta three... (1 Viewer)
- Thread starter mickbe74
- Start date
Finding it hard to get out at the minute due to my 4 week old baby but had an early start today and headed coventry/rugby way,had great veiws of the great grey shrike at grandborough but dipped on the great white egret just up the road,still a good day though had yellowhammer,more linnet than i've ever seen in my short birding life and tree sparrow.
Great Lake Swimmer
Member
I also failed on the Bittern last year at Titchwell, it was spotted there on Friday, so i may have to get myself back over there, would be a fantastic bird to see.
CharleyBird
Well-known member
Thought I might visit the Bittern Hide, Lee Valley, north of Waltham Abbey today. It's only a couple hundred yards from the car park so despite the cold thought I'd go have a quick look. You never know what's about.
When we (told my younger daughter we were going to see a kind of brown heron) arrived early afternoon, a woman in the car park (with some tasty camera equipment) said there had been three Bitterns earlier, one had been chased off by one of the others, so potentially there were still two birds to see.
Surprisingly we found the hide empty. After about 5 minutes she spotted one long beak peeking out, then the whole bird obligingly came out and crossed the clear channel between two reedbeds not more than 20 yards away from the hide. I was rather pleased!
It then came out into the channel and walked slowly, crouching forward, towards us on the ice so we could see the whole bird, for about 5-10 feet then went into the reeds again. This is a shy bird? I was ecstatic!!
Five minutes later it came out again this time even closer in the cleared channel, in water, about 15 yards away, peering into the water as it walked slowly up the channel again towards us to where the reeds end - and then went into them to our left.
Stonking views filling the binoculars, and God help me, I'd not bothered to take a camera; I tried to stress to my 10 year old daughter just how lucky we were, I guess the cold spell and sparse food driving it out into the open. An older gentleman was in the hide now, also enjoying the show.
The bird had completely vanished into the reeds, then as a woman came into the hide and sat she said look...and we got another clear view just as you see pictures, the body camoflaged while the long neck and head were 'up periscope', totally vertical, just a few feet inside where the reeds start 10 yards or so from the hide.
Oh, and there was a water rail scuttling about quite openly down the same cleared channel on the ice.
And a robin almost hopped into the hide with us, actually on the hide window ledge and window frame, eating some seeds about 6 inches from my daughter.
It was a chilly hour, but well worth the effort
Andy
When we (told my younger daughter we were going to see a kind of brown heron) arrived early afternoon, a woman in the car park (with some tasty camera equipment) said there had been three Bitterns earlier, one had been chased off by one of the others, so potentially there were still two birds to see.
Surprisingly we found the hide empty. After about 5 minutes she spotted one long beak peeking out, then the whole bird obligingly came out and crossed the clear channel between two reedbeds not more than 20 yards away from the hide. I was rather pleased!
It then came out into the channel and walked slowly, crouching forward, towards us on the ice so we could see the whole bird, for about 5-10 feet then went into the reeds again. This is a shy bird? I was ecstatic!!
Five minutes later it came out again this time even closer in the cleared channel, in water, about 15 yards away, peering into the water as it walked slowly up the channel again towards us to where the reeds end - and then went into them to our left.
Stonking views filling the binoculars, and God help me, I'd not bothered to take a camera; I tried to stress to my 10 year old daughter just how lucky we were, I guess the cold spell and sparse food driving it out into the open. An older gentleman was in the hide now, also enjoying the show.
The bird had completely vanished into the reeds, then as a woman came into the hide and sat she said look...and we got another clear view just as you see pictures, the body camoflaged while the long neck and head were 'up periscope', totally vertical, just a few feet inside where the reeds start 10 yards or so from the hide.
Oh, and there was a water rail scuttling about quite openly down the same cleared channel on the ice.
And a robin almost hopped into the hide with us, actually on the hide window ledge and window frame, eating some seeds about 6 inches from my daughter.
It was a chilly hour, but well worth the effort
Andy
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