Little Bittern at Old Moor RSPB - Yorkshire

With a Little Bittern being present at Old Moor RSPB reserve in Yorkshire since the Tuesday and having missed the Elton Reservoir bird last May through being away in Ireland, I was quite keen to see this dainty Heron in the UK. Proving to be quite elusive during its stay with sightings usually the most frequent in the early morning, it wasn’t until the weekend that we could really do anything about it.

With some birders dipping on multiple occasions and others having put in hard slogs of 30 hours or more before a sighting, I was slightly apprehensive when there had been no sign on the Friday since around 10:45am. However, after an early start involving loose horses and driving in heavy fog, we arrived at the reserve in good time and were thankfully met with the news on RBA that the Little Bittern had been seen again that morning perched in a tree in front of Bittern Hide.

The view from Bittern hide

With the majority of sightings coming from the aptly named ‘Bittern hide’ and the nearby Reedbed screen, we arrived at the hide in good time just before half 8. With the Little Bittern favouring that section of reeds, it was now just a matter of waiting….

With several birders having walkie-talkies and being spread out over the area, updates came through that the bird was calling from a patch of reeds in front of the trees, but just wasn’t visible. Our luck was in however, as around 15 minutes later the shout went up that it was flying. It really was a “blink and you’ll miss it” kind of moment, and for the first 5 seconds I just couldn’t spot the bird. Apparently heading right over the reedbed and panicking slightly that it would dip behind the reeds and out of sight, I thankfully managed to pick it up as it flew behind a blue metal pump, surprisingly owl-like when flying and the contrasting cream and black wings now standing out even at a distance.

I watched it bank around over the reeds before it dipped below behind the trees and was lost to view. Incredible! Extremely glad we’d both managed to get on it and thankful that we wouldn’t have to sit in the hide for several more hours (memories of the Little Crake still haunt me!) although distant, we were both satisfied with our views, having seen Little Bitterns showing well in the reeds at close quarters in Spain before.

My dodgy Spanish Little Bittern Record shot!

Little Bittern in Spain -  A much better photo by Alex Jones

The rain and mist gradually worsened, and happy with our flight views we headed off to explore the rest of the reserve. A Black-necked Grebe was new in for the day, most probably moved on from its previous haunt by the overnight flooding, and that along with an unseasonal Goldeneye were the highlights. A smart Green Sandpiper made for a nice distraction after the American Wigeon at Wath Ings hide decided not to play ball - disappearing off in to the willows for the entire duration we were there -only coming out and showing well an hour after we had left. Still I’d glad it was the American Wigeon that gave us the run around as opposed to the Little Bittern (like has happened to many birders that have tried to connect!)

With Little Bitterns already breeding at Ham Wall RSPB in Somerset over the past few years, and with several records already this year of this tiny Mediterranean Heron, it is only a matter of time before they become much more frequent in the UK. With plenty of suitable reedbed habitat just waiting to be colonised, it would be great to have them as a much more regular breeder in Britain - following the successful movement north of both Little and Great White Egrets. With Purple Herons, Night Herons and even Squaccos seen much more frequently, it is great to see these rare herons expanding in range and becoming a more familiar sight on our shores. 

Southern Spain Trip Report - Day 4

Day 4 - Friday 15th August 2015

Our fourth day in Spain dawned fantastically sunny and hot yet again, and we soon hit the road to continue west with our trip towards Jerez, in the Cadiz province of Spain. Driving through the sun-baked land, we headed through the mountains and dehesa – the cork and oak plantations famous in Southern Spain – keeping watch all the while for any Bonelli’s Eagles or Black-winged Kites that may be soaring on the breeze. With no sign of either, we continued on to the plains of La Janda and Benalup, these once bird-rich flooded paddy fields sadly not as productive as in their former heyday years. A large group of Cattle Egrets converged at the side of the road, while a flock of White Storks took to the air, their huge wingspans tremendous as they circled around before landing in the next field – now completely hidden by the tall vegetation!

Several stops to check the sparrow flocks for any Spanish Sparrows sadly proved fruitless, as did a visit to a supposed favoured field for Little Bustard at one of the crossroads in La Janda. Deciding to press on to our next site of Bonanza Pools, we made the journey across to this excellent set of pools near the town of Bonanza, close to Jerez. The three medium sized pools here are usually a reliable site for White-headed Ducks, and pulling up at the side of the road we weren’t disappointed.

Several birds were present on Pool 2, with a number of males and females drifting over the calm water while another few individuals dozed in the warm afternoon sun, resting their white heads under their winds as they were carried along on the slow breeze.

Pool 2 - Bonanza Pools - Photo by Alex Jones

Calling me over, Alex excitedly told me to look through the scope as he had found a lifer for me – and sure enough a Purple Swamphen was slowly creeping along the reeds at the back of the pool! Having never seen one before, this was a bird that I had most definitely wanted to catch up with during the trip, and we watched as this bright purple individual carefully made its way in and out of the reed stems, the colourful red bill shining out like a small beacon.

A well concealed Little Bittern was a great spot, impressively camouflaged amongst the reeds as it perched close to the water, stock still and watching for any small fish to devour for lunch. I was struck by just how tiny these birds are compared to the Bitterns in the reedbeds back in the UK, its miniscule size a strong factor as to why it took us around quarter of an hour to even realise it was there!

A very well hidden Little Bittern

Turning our attention to Pool 3 on the opposite side of the road, another Purple Swamphen dashed for cover, whilst a Squacco Heron stood perfectly still on an exposed branch in the middle of the water, again evidently hunting patiently and waiting for signs of movement in the murkiness below.

Pool 3 - Bonanza Pools - Photo by Alex Jones

With no Red-knobbed Coots present, we headed to the nearby Bonanza Salt Pans where we were greeted by an absolutely incredible selection of birds in this fantastically rich habitat. Countless waders scurried amongst the mud, with Dunlin, Little Stints and Sanderlings all feeding in the shallow poolside edges, while Black-winged Stilts waded through the water, their long, bright red legs enabling them to go slightly deeper than the other birds.

Hundreds of Greater Flamingos were sifting through the water filtering out any food, their gorgeous pink feathers providing a fantastic burst of colour in the sun. Having only seen two extremely distant individuals in northern Spain earlier in the year, it was fantastic to see them so close up this time and really admire the bright colours.

Large numbers of Slender-billed Gulls foraged on the water’s surface (a lifer for me) and we watched as they span around feeding, their bright red bills standing out from a distance.

The sheer volume of birds present at this site was evident as we drove slowly down the mud track – Fan-tailed Warblers sprung up from the grass verges singing their hearts out while Booted Eagles and Griffon Vultures soared majestically overhead. A nice juvenile Blue-headed Wagtail perched obligingly on some nearby vegetation, while various species of larks sang beautifully from either side of the car.

Fan-tailed Warbler - photo by Alex Jones

Photo by Alex Jones

Heading towards a large lake at one end of the site, we joined several local fishermen and were greeted by fantastically close up views of a Greater Flamingo feeding in the shallows right in front of us, seemingly oblivious to our presence. A nice adult Caspian Tern patrolled the water’s surface from high above, it’s large bright red beak clear to see.

With no Marbled Ducks present at this site, we headed to our final location of the day, Laguna de Tarelo, just a few miles from Bonanza. Walking slowly due to the heat and with Chris and Alex having gone ahead, I stopped to check a small bird in one of the bushes lining the path. Looking through my bins I was surprised to see a vermillion red bill and a red feather mask surrounding a beady eye looking back at me – a Common Waxbill! 

Only perched for a matter of seconds before darting in to cover, I was pleased that I had caught up with this introduced species after missing two that morning that Alex and Chris had seen fly over the pond by our apartment before leaving Alcaidesa. Catching up with the other two, I led Alex back to where I’d seen the bird to hopefully catch up with it again (Alex apparently wasn’t ‘ticking’ his flight views of the Waxbills earlier and was now slightly gripped!) and thankfully hearing their calls in some nearby conifers I got him on to 4 or 5 individuals that were happily perched amongst the pine needles.

Introduced and spreading across the Iberian Peninsula having originated from North Africa, Common Waxbills are included under Category C, and although not native I enjoyed seeing these bright additions to our trip list.

Suddenly Chris called out that he had got them (we assumed he meant our target Marbled Teals) and sure enough after running back to the small hide, Chris had two or more individuals in the scope. It wasn’t the closest views in the world as the birds were right on the opposite side of the large lake (Chris had outdone himself once again with his superb bird-spotting eyesight) and I had been hoping for them to be a lot closer like the White-headed Ducks were that morning. However there was no mistaking their small size, spotty plumage and dark eye patches even at a distance.

A very distant record shot of the Marbled Duck! - Photo by Alex Jones

Scanning the lake, several more White-headed Ducks were present including a number of males, along with a variety of other ducks including Gadwall and Mallards. Several Night and Squacco Herons also lined the reeds and branches around the edge of the pool, keeping a watchful eye out for any prey.

Scanning every single coot present for any with ‘red knobs’ on their heads, we unfortunately drew a blank once again. Several Little Terns flying over the water’s surface brought up a nice Whiskered Tern amongst them – a cracking spot by Alex and a first for me.

Laguna de Tarelo - Photo by Alex Jones

With the day drawing to a close we headed to our hotel for the night in Jerez, (Alex navigating the very narrow one way streets and distinct lack of parking spaces like a hero) where Chris most definitely bit off more than he could chew when ordering the biggest pizza on the menu at a local restaurant! The waiter was unfortunately proved right with his disbelief in Chris’s ability to devour the monster dish, and this time in the battle between man vs food, food most definitely came out victorious!