First ever sighting of a Bittern at Oxfordshire reserve

01/02/2010 09:33:48 Rare winter bird spotted at Chimney Meadows
February 2010. A bittern has been seen at Chimney Meadows Nature Reserve in Oxfordshire for the first time; The reserve is run by The Berks, Bucks and Oxon Wildlife Trust (BBOWT).

The bittern was sighted on Thursday, 21st January, south of the National Nature Reserve on a marshy area between the Thames Path and the river, and is a very positive indicator that the wetland enhancement works at Chimney Meadows are helping to transform the area into a haven for wildlife.

New scrapes and ponds
BBOWT has been undertaking a programme of wetland restoration in a number of sites across the county. Major works have been ongoing at Chimney Meadows, including digging over 5km of scrapes and creating ten ponds to improve the area for wading birds such as snipe and lapwing.

Dr Kerry Lock, BBOWT's Chimney Meadows Project Officer, is very excited about the sighting: "The bird obviously came down for a reason, looking for a place to land, and the fact that it chose the reserve indicates that it is a positive sign that the wetland habitat work is achieving its aim. Although there is no guarantee that more bittern will land at Chimney Meadows, this sighting is encouraging and fuels our determination to continue to expand these wetland areas incorporating reedbeds that are the true habitat of this bird."

More wetland birds
Wetlands like Chimney Meadows provide important habitat for conservation priority species such as curlew, reed bunting, sedge warbler and water rail which take shelter in the varied wetland habitats on site.

Otter spotted
Another encouraging sign that the work at Chimney Meadows is paying off is the recent spotting of an otter from the large bird hide. Although otters are sometimes observed on the Thames and on the Great Brook, this is the first one spotted from the large hide (built in 2006) which overlooks a developing wetland area.