Shy birds make Humber home

Published on 4th September 2008 in News

The Humber is now the third most important nesting site for bitterns in the country after the formerly extinct bird enjoyed its best nesting season for over 130 years, according to a RSPB and Natural England survey.

In the last two years the shy heron has sucessfully returned to the Humber, with East Yorkshire and North Lincolnshire hosting eight males between them. Surveyors recorded 75 male bitterns in English reedbeds after listening for their distinctive 'booming' song. This is an increase of 47 per cent on 2007's figures and a staggering 581 per cent increase in the numbers recorded in 1997, when the UK population plummeted to a recent low of just 11 males, all in England.

Dr Mark Avery, the RSPB's conservation director, said: "The bittern has suffered an ill-fated history in the UK, having endured extinction once and having been on the verge of extinction again in the late 1990s."

Although currently confined to England, the bittern was formerly widespread across the UK, where it has endured a boom-and-bust history. In 1886 the drainage of wetlands prevented the bittern from nesting in the UK and persecution pushed the bird to extinction.

The birds recolonised when they were found breeding again in the Norfolk Broads in 1911 and thanks to the large-scale recreation and management of reedbeds, like those at Blacktoft Sands, near Goole where two or three booming males have been recorded in recent years, the bitterns population has gradually increased.

Dr Mark Avery added: "We weren't prepared to accept a second extinction of the bittern, so we launched a rescue bid to keep the bittern as a British bird. This bid has been so successful that a wide range of other wildlife has benefited too. There are too many threatened species in the world and the turning around of the UK's bittern population shows what can be achieved with a combination of practical determination, proper research and appropriate funding."

The hard work put into managing the reserve was rewarded this year when chicks fledged successfully from two nests for the first time.

Peter Short, RSPB Humber reserves sites Manager said: "We always thought bitterns should be able to breed at Blacktoft. But research taught us that they have specific needs and the reserve's habitats would need to change to support enough food to feed both the adult birds and their chicks.

"With permission from our landlords, Associated British Ports (ABP), a hugely dedicated team turned Blacktoft Sands into a bittern haven, resulting in a hugely successful outcome."

Part of the rescue package for the bitterns focused on establishing the reason behind their decline and research showed that the bittern's future in the UK is entirely dependent on continued efforts to manage and recreate reedbeds - the bird's principle watery habitat.

Dr Pete Brotherton, head of biodiversity for Natural England, added: "This year's figures are a fantastic achievement and show that we can bring species back from the brink of extinction. You would probably have to go back at least 130 years to find a better year for this booming bird.

"Despite our success, there's still much more to do. We are working to halt the loss and fragmentation of the country's wetlands and to create new ones," continued Dr Brotherton. "We know bitterns can thrive on coastal and inland freshwater wetlands, and we are confident that we can extend its range still further so that more people can enjoy its distinctive booming call."

The Bittern Monitoring Programme is jointly funded through Action for Birds in England, a conservation partnership between Natural England and the RSPB.