Bittern Back in the Valley
Date Published: 13/01/2010
One of Britain’s rarest birds returns to Lee Valley
Over the past week birdwatchers have braved the snow and freezing conditions to catch a glimpse of the elusive Bittern hiding in the reeds at Seventy Acres Lake in the River Lee Country Park, Essex.
On Sunday 10 January up to five Bittern were spotted in the reedbeds and recent sightings have even included a Bittern rescued by Lee Valley Regional Park Rangers in January last year. The exhausted looking bird was lifted from Seventy Acres Lake, hungry and weak and taken into care for rehabilitation. Prior to release the bird was ringed so that conservationists could track its progress and learn more about the species.
The secretive heron-like bird was declared extinct in the UK in the 1880s but has been attracted back by conservation efforts across the country. The existence of wintering Bittern in the Lee Valley Regional Park is one of the reasons the Park was designated a Special Protection Area and has attracted funding from the European LIFE fund for much of the habitat improvement work which has taken place.
Much work has been carried out at Seventy Acres Lake to enhance the habitat including improvements to the quality and size of reedbeds, the creation of low-lying islands and development of a network of ditches.
Another popular spot for wintering Bittern is Amwell Nature Reserve, which is owned and managed by the Herts & Middlesex Wildlife Trust. It is hoped that the work undertaken by Lee Valley Regional Park, Herts & Middlesex Wildlife Trust and the RSPB will encourage the Bittern to stay into the summer months and eventually breed in the Lee Valley.
Senior Conservation Officer Cath Patrick said “This is a great time for watching Bitterns and very encouraging for us to see them return to Seventy Acres Lake again this winter. This time of year is an excellent time to visit the Regional Park as numbers of resident birds are swelled by migrants from Europe and Scandinavia looking to escape even harsher weather than we are currently facing here”.
A Bittern Information Point is located at Seventy Acres Lake in the River Lee Country Park. The Information Point is open daily and volunteers are often on hand at weekends to help visitors spot and identify birds.
Lee Valley Regional Park is keen to hear of any recent Bittern sightings within the Park and invites visitors to contact them via the website - www.leevalleypark.org.uk/en/wildlife/