View allAll Photos Tagged bittern
Botaurus stellaris
RSPB Minsmere
A most ridiculously confiding bird at Island Mere, Minsmere. Hunted for food for around 3 hours right in front of the hide, unperturbed by us photographers only about 15 metres away. Eventually caught a roach of about 1.5 pounds and scampered back into the reedbed to enjoy its prize!
Most summers we have a few least bitterns at Brazos Bend, but they tend to be far off, and aloof.
In contrast, there are several in the park this summer, and they don't seem too concerned about being watched or photographed.
Eating seems to be their main interest. Last Sunday, their continuous feeding behavior reminded me of birds about to migrate.
Brazos Bend State Park in SE Texas - 6/2022.
Bittern - Botaurus Stellaris
Norfolk
The bittern is a thickset heron with all-over bright, pale, buffy-brown plumage covered with dark streaks and bars. It flies on broad, rounded, bowed wings. A secretive bird, very difficult to see, as it moves silently through reeds at water's edge, looking for fish. The males make a remarkable far-carrying, booming sound in spring. It's very small, reedbed-dependent population make it an Amber List species.
It is also a Schedule 1 species.
Unlike the similar storks, ibises, and spoonbills, herons, egrets, pelicans, and bitterns fly with their necks retracted, not outstretched.
Eurasian bitterns feed on fish, small mammals, amphibians and invertebrates, hunting along the reed margins in shallow water. British records include eels up to 35 cm (14 in) and other fish, mice and voles, small birds and fledglings, frogs, newts, crabs, shrimps, molluscs, spiders and insects. In continental Europe, members of over twenty families of beetle are eaten, as well as dragonflies, bees, grasshoppers and earwigs. Some vegetable matter such as aquatic plants is also consumed.
Males are polygamous, mating with up to five females. The nest is built in the previous year's standing reeds and consists of an untidy platform some 30 cm (12 in) across. It may be on a tussock surrounded by water or on matted roots close to water and is built by the female using bits of reed, sedges and grass stalks, with a lining of finer fragments. Four to six eggs are laid in late March and April and incubated by the female for about twenty-six days. After hatching, the chicks spend about two weeks in the nest before leaving to swim amongst the reeds. The female rears them without help from the male, regurgitating food into the nest from her crop, the young seizing her bill and pulling it down. They become fully fledged at about eight weeks.
The Eurasian bittern has a very wide range and a large total population, estimated to be 110,000 to 340,000 individuals. The International Union for Conservation of Nature has assessed its overall conservation status as being of "least concern because although the population trend is downward, the rate of decline is insufficient to justify rating it in a more threatened category. The chief threat the bird faces is destruction of reed beds and drainage and disturbance of its wetland habitats. It is one of the species to which the Agreement on the Conservation of African-Eurasian Migratory Waterbirds (AEWA) applies. The southern race has suffered catastrophic decline during the 20th century due to wetland degradation and, unlike the northern race, is of high conservation concern.
In the United Kingdom, the main areas in which the Eurasian bittern breeds have been Lancashire and East Anglia with an estimated 44 breeding pairs in total in 2007. However, the Lancashire population at Leighton Moss RSPB reserve has declined in recent decades, while bitterns have been attracted to new reed beds in the West Country. In Ireland, it died out as a breeding species in the mid-19th century, but in 2011 a single bird was spotted in County Wexford and there have been a number of subsequent sightings. In the 21st century, bitterns are regular winter visitors to the London Wetland Centre, enabling city dwellers to view these scarce birds.
Population:
UK breeding:
80 males
UK wintering:
600 birds
Europe:
21 - 29,000 pairs
Just saw this bittern in time to get a half decent shot...
North Norfolk.
Thanks for viewing, and for any favs/comments.
Spent today with Aaliyah at Westhay. Lots of birds to see, I think we counted 38 different species though the course of the day including the drive in and out. Good views of a couple of bitterns, kingfishers and marsh harriers at North hide and a Bearded reedling on Daggs lane drove.
Taken in the early morning sunshine, in Suffolk. Very messy image but that’s often the case with the Bittern skulking about in the reeds. An archive image, not previously posted
Not the best photo, but the first time i have seen when a Bittern is booming. Great to witness that! And great to get a photo of the moment!
Many thanks for taking time to view, comment and fave. Thats very much appreciated
Bittern - Botaurus Stellaris
The bittern is a thickset heron with all-over bright, pale, buffy-brown plumage covered with dark streaks and bars. It flies on broad, rounded, bowed wings. A secretive bird, very difficult to see, as it moves silently through reeds at water's edge, looking for fish. The males make a remarkable far-carrying, booming sound in spring. It's very small, reedbed-dependent population make it an Amber List species.
It is also a Schedule 1 species.
Unlike the similar storks, ibises, and spoonbills, herons, egrets, pelicans, and bitterns fly with their necks retracted, not outstretched.
Eurasian bitterns feed on fish, small mammals, amphibians and invertebrates, hunting along the reed margins in shallow water. British records include eels up to 35 cm (14 in) and other fish, mice and voles, small birds and fledglings, frogs, newts, crabs, shrimps, molluscs, spiders and insects. In continental Europe, members of over twenty families of beetle are eaten, as well as dragonflies, bees, grasshoppers and earwigs. Some vegetable matter such as aquatic plants is also consumed.
Males are polygamous, mating with up to five females. The nest is built in the previous year's standing reeds and consists of an untidy platform some 30 cm (12 in) across. It may be on a tussock surrounded by water or on matted roots close to water and is built by the female using bits of reed, sedges and grass stalks, with a lining of finer fragments. Four to six eggs are laid in late March and April and incubated by the female for about twenty-six days. After hatching, the chicks spend about two weeks in the nest before leaving to swim amongst the reeds. The female rears them without help from the male, regurgitating food into the nest from her crop, the young seizing her bill and pulling it down. They become fully fledged at about eight weeks.
The Eurasian bittern has a very wide range and a large total population, estimated to be 110,000 to 340,000 individuals. The International Union for Conservation of Nature has assessed its overall conservation status as being of "least concern because although the population trend is downward, the rate of decline is insufficient to justify rating it in a more threatened category. The chief threat the bird faces is destruction of reed beds and drainage and disturbance of its wetland habitats. It is one of the species to which the Agreement on the Conservation of African-Eurasian Migratory Waterbirds (AEWA) applies. The southern race has suffered catastrophic decline during the 20th century due to wetland degradation and, unlike the northern race, is of high conservation concern.
In the United Kingdom, the main areas in which the Eurasian bittern breeds have been Lancashire and East Anglia with an estimated 44 breeding pairs in total in 2007. However, the Lancashire population at Leighton Moss RSPB reserve has declined in recent decades, while bitterns have been attracted to new reed beds in the West Country. In Ireland, it died out as a breeding species in the mid-19th century, but in 2011 a single bird was spotted in County Wexford and there have been a number of subsequent sightings. In the 21st century, bitterns are regular winter visitors to the London Wetland Centre, enabling city dwellers to view these scarce birds.
Population:
UK breeding:
80 males
UK wintering:
600 birds
Europe:
21 - 29,000 pairs
I know it's a bit fuzzy and not as sharp as I'd like , but it's not every day you get to see one of these.
What an amazing opportunity this was...
A huge thank you to Tom Robinson (www.wildlife-photography-hides.co.uk) for letting me have a go at this before he opens up the hide to others. Well worth it if you want to see this very rare bird.
A Bittern makes a low fly by across the lake.
Many thanks to all who take the time to view, comment or fave my images.
American Bittern near the Dupont Nature Center, Mispillion Harbor, Delaware.
When I drove past, this unusual-looking piece of wood caught my eye. After quick consideration I did a U-turn and went back to see what it was. The Bittern had come out a bit more and presented itself for photographs, in its typical posture imitating its environment. And then it slowly moved away.
Some days you get lucky and others you get really lucky. Today was one of those days, I was at Summer Leys and all of a sudden all the lapwings and gulls flushed into the air. I quickly scanned across and couldn't see any obvious raptors but did spot a large bird coming towards me. I got my binoculars onto it and realised it was a bittern which was fairly high up and coming straight towards me. I got my camera onto it and it kept coming and coming until it was right in front of me. Bitterns occur annually at Summer Leys, usually at this time of year but don't seem to overwinter so any sighting is special and therefore I was really happy to get this photo. Sometimes you're just in the right place at the right time!