With going to Spurn in less than a week, I have been very busy packing and saying goodbyes to people at Uni. However, when the news broke that the Old Moor little bittern had returned from last year I decided to make a move and try and finally get it.
In the six hours I waited on site I once again failed to spot the bird. Largely through a mixture of bad luck, but also a lack of communication from birders who had seen it and in some way my own blind incompetence. Anyway, whatever the case, I once again failed to see it, now accumulating to a grand total of 16 hours spent on this bird.
I arrived at the reserve to the astonishing news that the reserve had not opened early, as I had assumed, so my bad. I therefore had two hours before I could commence looking for the little bittern. I wandered along to Bolton Ings where I was able to pass the time by finally, finally yearticking Green Woodpecker and getting fantastic views of a Barn Owl.
-Barn Owl
Once inside the reserve I set up at the wildlife watchpoint, figuring that the bittern hide would be too full and sweaty and that from the watchpoint I would be able to get a more prolonged view of the bird when it flew past. Hahaha. That failed to happen as it somehow snuck past the watchpoint at every opportunity. However, the Bittern did show very well, with numerous close flybys throughout the morning and then early afternoon one landed in the reed-beds next to me, allowing me fantastic views of the bird bitterning before it settled down to feed.
-Bittern
It was a pleasant enough, if ultimately very dissapointing day. The year-ticking of Green Woodpecker is long overdue though, and offers some consolation.
Species List:
Old Moor RSPB: Black-headed Gull, Bullfinch, Chaffinch, Carrion Crow, Magpie, Woodpigeon, Feral Pigeon, Stock Dove, Chiffchaff, Willow Warbler, Blackbird, Tree Sparrow, Coot, Moorhen, Great Tit, Bittern, Mute Swan, Green Woodpecker, Wren, Common Tern, Little Grebe, Tufted Duck, Swallow, Swift, House Martin, Dunnock, Whitethroat, Lapwing, Oystercatcher, Great-crested Grebe, Barn Owl, Goldfinch, Jackdaw, Redshank, Gadwall, Canada Goose, Long-tailed Tit, Cormorant, Grey Heron, Lesser Black-backed Gull, Little Egret, Greylag Goose, Reed Bunting, Peregrine,
Being a frequent reader of your blog Daniel having come across it via Brian's and Calderdale Birds, we wondered if you may have visited Old Moor when the Little Bittern returned. We too were at Old Moor yesterday (Monday) and spent around one & half hr at 'Bittern Bus Stop' (from 11.30am) so were there when the call went up for the brief 2 second flight of the little bittern. We too didn't see it, but it was still a lovely day....rounded off with a pot of tea & slice of cake!
ReplyDeleteAngela & Gary