Bittern, East Marsh - Brandon Marsh
Bittern
Bittern
Bittern
BitternTuesday 26th January 2010
Spent a very enjoyable day at Brandon Marsh. Almost straight away a Bittern was seen 3 times in flight from Teal hide and then again what was probably a different bird flew into the East Marsh reedbed. The birds seemed quite active, whether it was the high water levels or a touch of sun in the afternoon I dont know but they gave some excellent views, much appreciated by those gathered in East Marsh hide. There was no sign of the Green winged Teal or a reported Black necked Grebe but I had a close encounter with a Peregrine Falcon as it flew overhead after making an unsuccessful attempt at taking a Lapwing from the flock on East Marsh. A large mixed flock of Siskin and Lesser Redpolls moved restlessly from one group of Alders to another but apart from Nuthatch, Jay, Greater spotted Woodpecker and noisy Water Rails I didnt see much else.
Having commented that the last time I had a coffee at Brandon it was nearly cold, I specifically asked for a hot coffee and the charming young lady duly obliged. It was very welcome as the temperature had dropped a couple of degrees since yesterday. I moved on to Grandborough Fields in the hope of seeing an Owl. Nothing doing. I struggled to find any suitable habitat for either Barn or Short eared Owls as most of the land was pasture for sheep. The odd corner had been left as rough grassland but I couldn't find any decent areas of set aside.
Bob.How is it that you got all these great shots of the Bitterns and I got none and I was sitting next to you a lot of the time.
ReplyDeleteI missed it again after you had gone.A bad day was nearly made even worse when,if it hadn't been for Kath, I'd have left my bins in the hide.