Try and Try and Try Again

There follows an interesting account of a recent sighting at Mere Sands Wood Nature Reserve. Paul and I visited the reserve this week to see if we could catch up with the two bitterns that had been showing well in front of the Rufford Hide.We did eventually see and photograph the bittern but that will be the subject of my next blog.

Whilst waiting for the bittern to show we were entertained by the antics of a young heron which was fishing close to where the bittern was hiding in the reeds.It suddenly caught a large bream which was to be quite a beakfull for the young bird to handle. For the next half hour or so the heron struggled to swallow the large fish.It made numerous attempts to get the fish down it's throat but it just wouldn't go.It tried every angle but in the end gave up and left the fish for another predator to find.I like to think the bittern may eventually have found the bream and with it's larger bill and throat would probably not had much difficulty in swallowing the fish.

The antics of the heron did of course provide numerous opportunities for some great action shots some of which I have posted above.It was an entertaining half hour or so and later we did managed some shots of one of the bitterns which all the time hardly moved from it's spot in the reedbed. Hope you enjoy my account of this encounter with the heron and bream and as promised my next post will feature the lack of action shots of the bittern, as it spent it's time hiding in the reedbed. Thanks for looking in and hope you enjoy the images above.