Delight as rare Bittern nests in UK for only the second time

Ecological disaster and species decline is the staple diet of environmental news nowadays, so nature-lovers across the UK will be celebrating this week when they hear that a very rare bird has turned up to successfully breed in the Westcountry.

The Little Bittern, which hasn't laid a single egg in Britain for more than quarter of a century, has successfully bred at the RSPB's Ham Wall nature reserve in Somerset.

The last time this rare marsh-loving bird had young in the UK was in 1984 – having never nested successfully here either before, or since.

But the wetlands and reed-beds at the RSPB's reserve near Glastonbury provide an ideal location and the organisation's local warden is delighted.

"Since we took on the land at Ham Wall back in the mid 1990s we've been working hard to recreate a pristine wetland," said Ray Summers. "To have a nesting Little Bittern is a fantastic seal of approval for the work we've done, it really demonstrates the quality of the site for wildlife."

Like many birds that nest in dense reed-beds, Little Bitterns are shy creatures, but Mr Summers tells the story of how the elusive bird came to live in the marshes: "We first saw the male Little Bittern back in May. Although he kept very much under cover, we could hear him calling and occasionally flying back and forth over the reeds. To our surprise, we then started to see a female. We kept our fingers crossed and kept watching the site.

"Then, two weeks ago we started to see the female flying regularly to the same spot in the reeds, a sure sign the bird was taking food to youngsters in the nest – we couldn't believe it!

"And finally, just days ago, we had the news we'd been waiting for with the first sightings of a juvenile."

Little Bittern populations have declined in Europe over the past 40 years.

This is probably due to loss of habitat – both in the areas they nest on the continent, and in Africa where they spend their winter.

Tony Whitehead, public affairs officer for the RSPB, said: "Having Little Bitterns breed for only the second time in the UK at Ham Wall demonstrates the power of landscape scale nature conservation. If you get the conditions right, the birds will turn up."

The reserve at Ham Wall is part of an ambitious plan to recreate a vast area of wetlands in the Brue Valley.

Known as the Avalon Marshes, the project is being delivered by a coalition of wildlife organisations.

Mr Whitehead explained: "Wetlands are under pressure the world over, not least, from climate change.

"To be able to recreate this landscape in Somerset is of huge significance."