Little Bittern Nightmare!

Just for a year tick I certainly put in the effort and the miles. First abortive trip was to Old Moor on July 1st [see previous posting]. Next trip back to Old Moor was on July 4th when another sojourn in the Bittern Hide [or Hide of Bitterness!] led to another failure! I photographed a few birds in desperation... It's never a waste of time to be out birding as these pleasing images show.

Reed bunting

Reed Bunting Reed Bunting Reed warbler

Reed Warbler Reed Warbler Reed Warbler Reed Warbler Probably the nicest set of reed warbler photos I have taken. Large skipper also posed for me.

Large Skipper Large Skipper

But no little bittern. I told my wife I would not be going again...

July 7th: I fancied something different after the frustrations of the damned bittern! I headed south via Blacktoft but the spotshanks were asleep and a little distant. A little egret flew in. Little Egret This shot amuses me!

Little Egret

Xerox held 3 green sandpipers.

Green Sandpiper Green Sandpiper I headed south again, aiming for Frampton Marsh to see if I could add a white-winged black tern to my year list. A few blackwits were close to the road.

Black-tailed Godwit Little egrets were plentiful here, too. Some birders don't spare a glance for avocets and little egrets these days yet they are both very photogenic birds. Remember when they were both exciting birds?

Here's a sort of cattle-little egret!

Little Egret

I eventually saw the tern then lost it over towards the 360° hide. Found from the hide. Here it is!! White-winged Black Tern

Now, here's a challenge! It took me a bit less than forever to spot the bird's black head moving from side to side as it watched everything overhead. Look in the very centre of the picture for a black head cap. That's it. Eventually after about 30 minutes it took off. I was poised...

White-winged Black Tern White-winged Black Tern White-winged Black Tern I returned home via Chambers Farm Wood for a quick break. A broad-bordered bee hawk moth was in the Butterfly Conservation garden. Moth in flight - amazing stuff! [With the 400mm lens]

Broad-bordered Bee Hawk Moth Let's have a closer look!

Broad-bordered Bee Hawk Moth Broad-bordered Bee Hawk Moth Broad-bordered Bee Hawk Moth Small tortoiseshells were there too.

Small Tortoiseshells Broad-bordered Bee Hawk Moth

Thursday 9th July was not a good day. I was taken ill with a virulent stomach upset [leaving the details to your imagination] in a hide at Tophill Low. Somehow I got home, with stops, and retired to bed. I slept for hours that day and night but was much recovered by the Friday. At Tophill Low I somehow managed a few photos of a kingfisher. Kingfisher

Saturday 11th July: The Nightmare continues!

The little bittern turned up at Swillington Ings. 'Showing well' quoted the optimistic pager. 'Showing well my foot!' my father would have said. We knew where it was: in a small patch of reed at the crossroads at the end of the causeway. Black-necked grebes were in the distance. I photographed a few common terns as they flew close. Some shots were blurred; some had no bird in them but the next photo is uncropped. Rather like it. Common Tern

Meanwhile Darren Starkey, Fairburn Warden and, funnily enough, former pupil from my days at Millthorpe School, was keeping an eye on things. Darren Starkey I never saw the bird and nor did anyone else until much later that evening.

On Sunday 12th July the plan was to go back to Chambers Farm Wood in Lincolnshire to look for butterflies and then drop in on Swillington Ings on the way back for the bittern if it had been reported. However shortly after setting off it came up on the pager. I decided to go there first instead as it it tended to show well in the mornings and then disappear until evening. By the time I got there it had. Disappeared, I mean. Some brief sightings were called from the birders stretched out along the reedbed. I may have seen it briefly but I wasn't sure. I certainly missed other brief sightings.

I decided to give it until 11.15 when I would leave for Lincolnshire. I moved to the bench at the crossroads. At 11.05 something flew up into the air in front of me and dropped down again. I was sure this time. 'Did you see it?' someone called. 'Where did it land?' 'Went straight down just there,' I replied and pointed. 

Nightmare over.

Little bittern. 241 2015! Little Bittern

Little Bittern Little Bittern

Little Bittern I did go to Chambers Farm Wood. A few pleasing results: white admiral...female

White Admiral Male. White Admiral

...first gatekeeper of the year...

Gatekeeper ...and hummingbird hawk moth. Much trickier than the bee moth to photograph: so fast! Anyway, here it is.

Humming-bird Hawk Moth

Tommy Steele in Half a Sixpence: What a picture! What a photograph! Humming-bird Hawk Moth

More later. I hope!