Who shall hear the bittern cry? (From Gazette & Herald)

Who shall hear the bittern cry?

I am told, on good authority, that bitterns used to live around Thirkleby Beck, a tiny stream running between Great Thirkleby and Little Thirkleby, these being small villages a few miles south-east of Thirsk.

The distinctive booming voices of the males could be heard on occasions even if the birds themselves were rarely seen.

I have no means of checking the veracity of this statement, nor do I know the period in which these rare birds were supposed to dwell in that area, but it is a fascinating thought, particularly as these birds are now so rare in this country and in this region in particular.

I have never set eyes on a bittern, nor have I ever heard its fabulous booming voice but, to my knowledge, no bittern has been seen or heard in Thirkleby for a long, long time.

A bittern is a large bird which is related to herons and storks. Some 30 inches (76cm) long, it lives close to water in reed-covered or marshy

areas and its colouring so closely matches the vegetation in which it lives and breeds that it is almost invisible to the naked eye.

With beautiful brown plumage streaked with black, brown and yellow, it is able to merge into the background with remarkable efficiency and, when it is alarmed, it stands motionless and stretches it neck skywards so that its markings resemble the surrounding reeds. Rather than fly away, it will remain absolutely still until it believes the danger has passed.

When hunting its prey of frogs, small mammals and fish, insects or even tiny birds, the bittern moves around on foot among the reeds in what

can only be described as a hunch-backed manner. It rarely flies and seldom ventures willingly into open ground, always preferring the shelter of the

dense reed beds.

It nests among the reeds too, building its thick nest on the ground by using vegetation and lining it with softer materials and then producing four to six eggs in April or May.

So how did such a shy and secretive bird become so rare? The answer lies in its appeal as food for the human race.

With the arrival of the shotgun, followed by drainage of many marshes which were its home,

numbers began to dwindle alarmingly.

Unfortunately, many people regarded

the bittern as a delicacy at table and this continued into the 19th century when special shoots were organised. These were particularly effective in the fens and wetlands of eastern England, where most of the nation's bitterns lived, but such shoots were also conducted in Wales, Ireland and the south of Scotland.

Whereas the bittern had previously been

considered plentiful, quite suddenly numbers plummetted and by 1850, the bird had ceased to breed in the Norfolk marshlands. By 1868, it was no longer breeding anywhere in England.

Eventually, however, sanctuaries were created in places where bitterns could live in safety and peace and although the birds lived in this country all the year round, we received visiting bitterns from overseas. They would arrive to spend the winter here, but some decided to remain and so, thanks to a combination of bittern welfare and some immigrants, our population of bitterns began to increase.

Just before the First World War, they had resumed breeding in England and, in spite of some severe winters and two world wars, their

numbers increased steadily until the mid-1950s.

Then they faced another extended set-back. This was chiefly due to the further widespread

destruction of their habitat as more and more marshlands were drained and cleared, then by 1996, only 11 breeding pairs were known in this country.

Since then, there has been an enormous effort to conserve the bittern, along with many other species considered to be under threat, and my latest information is that there are now about 30 breeding pairs in England.

Some of these are in special reserves but it does seem that the conservation efforts are succeeding.

Although the sound of a male bittern is so distinctive and loud (it can be heard up to a mile away), I have never had the joy of hearing one.

The bittern's generic name is botaurus which comes from the Latin boatum tauri, which is turn means the bellowing of a bull. That gives some indication of the sheer volume and distinctive sound which emerges from this bird's throat.

In the spring, however, when it is mating, it is said the noise is more like the lowing of a cow.

The bittern has a smaller and rarer cousin too. This is the little bittern, with a black back and tan underparts, which is about half the size of the one described earlier.

It spends virtually all its time among reeds, only coming out at dusk, but this is really a visitor from

Europe, Asia or North Africa. Due to this bird's remarkable shyness, it is not known with certainty whether any are living permanently in England but

I will keep my ears and eyes open every time I pass through Thirkleby.

Updated: 10:27 Wednesday, March 05, 2003