Little Bittern, of course, although after seven hours of looking at a windy Somerset reedbed and seeing nothing another interpretation was understandable. Early next morning the bird finally showed after another hour of watching. Ham Wall is a remarkable place: there can’t be many other places in Britain where you can see six species of heron in a day, as well as a supporting cast including Hobby, Red-footed Falcon and Glossy Ibis. We travelled back a bit early to pick up the Elegant Tern at Church Norton, which showed eventually, but wasn’t photographable while we were there.
Great Egret was the most frequently seen heron
Bitterns boomed occasionally and gave the odd flypast
Little Egret
We had a couple of Cattle Egrets flying over
Heron
Finally the Little Bittern stopped hiding in the reeds and came up for a few minutes
It’s not just herons, there were loads of Cuckoos
A very sleepy young Adder was reluctant to get off the middle of the path
