Success for threatened bittern
The bittern was extinct in the UK from 1886 to 1911
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Friday, 21, Sep 2007 04:43
Conservationists have welcomed improvements in the numbers of the bittern, one of Britain's most threatened birds.
The RSPB said that male bitterns were recorded at more sites than any other year since 1990 when detailed monitoring began.
The bird was found to have nested in the East Anglian fens for the first time since before the second world war.
Bitterns were extinct in the UK between 1886 and 1911 and reached a low point in 1997 when just 11 males were recorded.
The RSPB has particularly welcomed the discovery of four nests at a privately-owned site in Cambridgeshire involving three breeding females. This site is also the first recorded time that the bittern has nested in a newly-created reedbed.
"The spread of the bitterns into areas of newly-created reedbeds is a testament to all those involved with habitat creation, especially in the East Anglian fens," said RSPB conservation director Dr Mark Avery.
"Encouraging bitterns to nest in newly-created sites away from the coast helps to buffer these sensitive birds against the impacts of climate change and will help safeguard their future in Britain."
Surveyors found a total of 51 bitterns across 33 sites, a 16 per cent increase on last year's figure of 44 males.
"Bitterns are booming again: after two poor breeding seasons numbers are on the increase," Dr Tom Tew, Natural England's chief scientist, said.
"Natural England and its partners are committed to creating new wetlands and the bittern's success at newly created reedbeds is an example of how effective we can be."