Bittern

There's nothing better than having a good bird close to home and over the years the Bitterns wintering at Fishers Green have given me real value for the time invested in the hide waiting to see if they show. This year a lone bird has arrived on 17th January and I've spent a few hours since watching it or on occasion not seeing it but today was a good day. I arrived at 7.45 to find the bird out in the open and watched it just sitting there until 8.30 when a couple of other birders arrived and with the door opening it ran for cover. After about half an hour it returned to the open area and eventually started to hunt fish although I have to say its not the greatest as it misses most fish it darts into the water for in fact I hadn't seen it make a catch until today and even then it only got one fish. I do enjoy sitting waiting for the bird to show and then watching how it goes about its business. Saw a Black Swan today which is a first for the valley even if it isn't yet tickable (not considered self sustaining yet!)

Here's a few of the 110 pictures I took today 

Some days the bird doesn't show at all, some days you can see it hidden in the reeds but it doesn't come out and then there's days like today when it just goes about it's business forgetting people are looking at it a few feet away in the hide.