04/03/2017 Mere Sands Wood, Rufford, Lancashire

Bittern: I haven't been to Mere Sands Wood for ages, probably back when Dawn and I started dating. It's a lovely reserve with plenty to see especially when there is a prospect of a showy Bittern.

Over the past few weeks the Mere Sands Wood Bittern has been right out in the open and there has been some amazing images of it.

Typically however when I put a couple of days in all I see are more standard Bittern views, where the bird is skulking behind the reeds, albeit still a great bird to catch up with I may need to put in a few more hours in the Rufford Hide.

04/01/2017 Moore Nature Reserve

Bittern: I felt inspired after seeing Gill Ollier's fantastic images from his New Year's day outing to Moore, and thought I would try my luck to see the Bittern.

I remember when the Phoenix Hide was round and had a roof, before it got burned down, hence its name, the Phoenix Hide.

I've seen plenty of Bittern in my time but perhaps surprisingly never at Moore. I remember spending hours upon hours sitting in the old round hide overlooking the Eastern Reedbed waiting for a glimpse of the Bittern and never seeing it, well not until today!





The bird showed twice while I was there between 0900-1230, the fisrt time it flew from the middle of the Eastern Reedbed and flew in to a small cut out on the near bank. The second time I saw the bird it flew from this cut out and across to the other pool, before landing in the reeds.

02/08/2016 Minsmere RSPB, Suffolk

Western Purple Swapmhen: I've seen these massive blue coots in Spain but never thought I would have one over here.

Otherwise known as a purple gallinule or its less-scientific “blue chicken” or “swampy” if this bird gets accepted it will be a first for the UK.

The case put forward for it to be a genuine vagrant consists of timing and location. Its after breeding season so the birds are moving further afield, at this time of year in  Spain their traditional ponds and lakes are drying up.





The bird is a western race, so its range is closer to Britain than other forms of swamp-hen which have been known to escape into the wild from captivity. Also there are other westerns swamphens way out of their range in France at the moment. All of which may makes the Minsmere bird more credible.

Other highlights included Bittern over the reedbeds close to where the Swamphen was loafing and two adult Stone Curlew accompanying a single chick just past the visitor centre on the grassland.

10/01/2014 Marbury Country Park

Bittern: Today I was at Marbury Country Park doing a spot of profile raining for Cheshire Wildlife Trust as they manage the reedbed, a lovely boardwalk trail and woodlands all part of Budworth Mere.

Which is currently home to two Bitterns and an impressive Starling roost.

After a longish wait and a frustrating scan over the reedbed one of the Bitterns was found hiding, we watched it for about 20 minutes before a Grey Heron flew in and pushed the Bittern out of sight.

Song Thrush: I then stopped off at Newmans Flash hoping to see the Green Winged Teal, however after scanning over hundreds of common Teal I gave in!