A Bittern in the bush......

Today was another day of volunteer duty at RSPB Minsmere. Thankfully the mugginess of yesterday had gone to be replaced by beautiful sunshine and a stiff breeze.

Began my day at the pond below the Sand Martin cliff. The martins were very active bringing food back to their young in the holes in the cliff. There wasn't a lot visible on or around the pond. Azure Damselflies are beginning to do their stuff and Broad Bodied Chaser Dragonflies are flying but things seem to be a bit late this year due to the cooler weather. The Water Vole put in a brief appearance, trundling across the surface like a torpedo. There was a steady stream of visitors interested in the reserve and asking lots of questions.

For the last hour of my shift I moved on to North Hide and I was very glad I did when this Bittern put in an appearance, no more than 20 feet from the hide. It fished for about half an hour so plenty of people got the opportunity to see this most elusive of birds. I especially enjoyed sharing the moment with a family. The smallest child (who was about 4) obviously found it difficult to spot the Bittern out of the window but was enthralled to see it on the screen of my camera.

Magic moments. Met the family later in the day and it was agreed that there wasn't anything better than a Bittern!