Brazen Bittern

Birding didn't look too promising to start with today. It was grey, damp and misty. We set off to walk down through Seven Sisters Country Park to the sea and back anyway, and during the course of the morning blue began to appear, the day warmed up and the mist burned off.

It was a nice day for small birds and waders as it turns out and we quickly began to see a lot of giggly dabchicks diving and re-appearing. There were heron about and little egret, several redshank, including one who seemed to have some kind of bond with a knot as we saw this odd couple several times together.

Overhead a peregrine was hunting and as we got down to "The Scrape" near the coast I was able to see lots of my favourite bird: oystercatchers. In this same area was also the first avocet I have seen this year as well as teal, Canada geese etc. Amongst others, in the morning we also saw dunnock, robin, reed bunting, skylark, pintail, meadow pipit, dunlin, black-headed gull, great and lesser black-backed gull (conveniently close for a good comparison) and wigeon. One of my companions also saw a greenfinch which I'm afraid I missed.

We had lunch back at the car overlooking a bend of the meandering river cuckmere but unfortunately didn't see the resident kingfisher on this occasion.

After lunch we set off to nearby Eastbourne to find Shinewater Park where a bittern had been reported. As it was by now a warm, bright, sunny day we had no great expectations of seeing this shy bird. Usually it is best to stake out a healthy reed-bed at twilight and spot them flying in. It is extremely difficult to see them normally once they are within the reeds as they are well-camouflaged.







We crossed a bridge and found a viewpoint out over Shinewater lake where we saw more Canada geese, cormorants, shoveller, and gadwall. We weren't very happy with the proximity to the A22 however and the constant loud traffic noise.

We warmed to the place on our return journey though as, while one of our number hung back and spotted a wren and long-tailed tit, my birding guru began to recross the bridge and murmured "bittern".








Sure enough it was easily visible and quite clear at the edge of some reeds even through the binoculars. The 'scope gave unprecedented views though and somehow it seemed wrong to watch so easily a bird I have previously strained to see on a freezing crepuscular vigil.

It seemed likely that anything after this would be a bit of an anti-climax so, after visiting the local shops, we returned home for a cup of tea.