I CAN'T STOP LOOKING FOR BITTERNS. No matter what I have in mind I always seem to end up scouring places like Viera Wetland in the hope of finding one. After one quite shy bird near the centre point, on a damp and grey morning, I caught up with what was presumably yesterday's bird again in roughly the same area as before and again it was being hassled by the gang of White Ibises and Snowy Egrets feeding actively (and noisily) in the vicinity. Most people enjoyed some nice views of it, albeit partially obscured in the rushes, including a bus load of folks on the organised birding festival field trip. Still no sign of Purple Gallinule though, nor Least Bittern, although the Dan Click Ponds were very birdy with hordes of shorebirds, including Black-bellied Plovers amongst the many yellowlegs and dowitchers. A small flock of at least 8 Buff-bellied Pipits were feeding on the insect-laden mud in the company of Killdeers and Palm Warblers and a pair of Mute Swans was causing some excitement.

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BITTERNS ARE SOME OF MY FAVOURITE BIRDS and another species that Florida is an excellent place to catch up with is American Bittern. Although there appear to be fewer around here than there were two years ago, I managed a very nice sighting this morning at Viera Wetland, of a bird that was slowly working its way through a bed of rushes. Viera, as usual, offered some great views of other waterbirds too. The birds here seem completely unconcerned by the presence of people and it is a fabulous site for photography. Unless you have a particular target in mind there is a bewildering choice of birds to point your camera lens at. Caspian and Forster's Terns fished around the lagoons and a Bald Eagle passed overhead several times. A Belted Kingfisher perched on submerged palm stumps and noisy Sandhill Cranes were prospecting potential nesting sites around the wetland. The lagoons themselves were full of waterbirds, including several Wood Storks. The surrounding beds of rushes were literally full of Yellow-rumped Warblers, along with a few Common Yellowthroats and Savannah Sparrows. Thanks to local birder and former High Wycombe resident Warren Jacobi for some great advice today!

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AMERICAN BITTERN 2

AMERICAN BITTERN