Last weekend (8th April) a photograph of a Bittern, taken at Carlton Marsh in Suffolk, was posted on Social Media. It was very quickly re-identified as an American Bittern, an extremely rare vagrant to our shores. I last saw an American Bittern in the 1990’s, when one was at Marton Mere, near Blackpool, in Lancashire. Plans were made during the week, with Barrie and Richard, to see the bird on Saturday 14th, assuming it was still there on the 13th. After several hours wait on the morning of the 14th, the bird eventually put in a brief fly-by appearance. Later in the morning, around 12:30 it eventually showed quite well as it wandered across a large gap in the reed beds, giving a reasonable, but distant view. I managed a few record shots of this superb looking bird. Also seen during the morning – a Ring Ouzel, a Wheatear, a Whimbrel, a stunning Barn Owl and lots of Sky Dancing Marsh Harrier.
American Bittern – Carlton Marsh, near Lowestoft, Suffolk – Tony Davison©
Barn Owl – Carlton Marsh, Suffolk – one was flying around and hunting during the early morning – Tony Davison©
