Two Billy Boomers

This afternoon, Mike Warren and I were treated to views of two bitterns (or Billy Bommers as I used to call bitterns when I was growing up in Suffolk; of course, one or both may have been Belinda Boomers!) as dusk descended over the reedbed. There is an obviously pale bird on site and that flew up first and headed over towards the silt lagoons. About ten minutes later a darker bittern flew across the reedbed and landed in the top of a willow bush. It showed well, often stretching up its neck above the bush, and shuffled about as it settled down to roost for the night. A bittern had performed in similar fashion last Sunday - it flew across the southern part of the reedbed and landed in a small bush. It was a volunteer work day and all the volunteers still present got to see it.

The reedbed looked fantastic in the fading light as it shimmered with a pinkish hue. The starlings came in to roost but all dropped straight into the reedbed (in front of the viewing screen) without performing aerial displays. It was difficult to estimate numbers but appeared to be less, perhaps 500 + birds. A female sparrowhawk was watching them from a mudflat and would dash into the reedbed but didn't appear to catch a bird.

A male goldeneye was diving in the deep reedbed channel, a little egret flew over, several water rails were squealing from the depths of the reedbed, and a green sandpiper and four redshanks were feeding on the muddy margins. Before I met Mike he had heard the bearded tits calling and a Cetti's warbler singing.

I had also visited the reserve earlier in the day and seen two coal tits in the wood in a flock of great, blue and long-tailed tits. A goldcrest, treecreeper and a great spotted woodpecker were also in the wood and a flock of about 10 siskins flew over. Fieldfares, redwings and two bullfinches were in the eastern hedgerow.