Britain’s bitterns are booming
2 September 2011
A new survey by the RSPB and Natural England shows Britain’s loudest bird, once extinct in the UK, has enjoyed its best year since records began.
Bittern in reed bed © Andy Hay rspb-images.com
The bittern – a threatened relative of the more familiar grey heron – is bouncing back, following intensive conservation efforts, which has seen its population rise over the last 15 years from 11 males in 1997 to 104 this year.
The bittern monitoring programme is jointly funded by the RSPB and Natural England, through the Action for Birds in England programme.
Dr Pete Brotherton, Natural England’s Head of Biodiversity said: "The bittern’s recovery is a great conservation achievement and shows what can be done when government, conservationists and landowners work together. This is an encouraging sign that we can restore and improve our wetland habitats, which bring vital benefits to both people and wildlife."
Bitterns are highly secretive wetland birds and live most of their time within dense stands of reed, making them very difficult to count. However, the males have an amazing ‘beatbox’ ability, where they fill their gullets with air which they release to make a booming ‘song’ which can be heard several kilometers away. This has enabled scientists to count the birds.
The bittern has had a rollercoaster history in Britain, as the bird was extinct as a nesting species between 1886 and when it recolonised the Norfolk Broads in 1911.
This summer, researchers found evidence of at least 104 ‘singing’ or ‘booming’ males, principally in East Anglia. However, the bird has also recolonised the Somerset Levels (in 2008), where surveyors found 25 males, up from 14 in 2010. Following an intensive period of habitat management since the mid 1990s, Somerset is now the second most important county for booming bitterns in England, after Suffolk.
Natural Environment Minister Richard Benyon concluded: “To see a species that was once extinct in the UK rise to a population of over one hundred is a real achievement. This is largely down to the work of the RSPB and Natural England, and shows what can be achieved if we work together. This partnership work is vital as we work to meet the commitments set out in the Natural Environment White Paper and the England Biodiversity Strategy.”
More information: Boomtime for Britain's loudest bird
(RSPB)
