Keith and I went to the London Wetland Centre last week. As we arrived, a Sparrowhawk circled over the visitors centre. We made our way to Dulverton hide, where there were the usual cast of wildfowl and gulls. Keith decided to move on and he left. I was still packing, when a lady called ‘Bittern in the reeds’. What a dilemma! Did I look at the Bittern or go and call Keith back and risk not seeing it? Well the better side of my nature prevailed and I hurried out of the hide to call him back. Thankfully we both got good views of the bird before it disappeared into the reeds. We then went onto the Tower Hide, where we had the briefest view of a Water Pipit. However, despite 5 Jack Snipe being seen only a hour before, none were in sight now. After a while we decided to go for a walk around the sheltered lagoon and were rewarded with the sight of a flock of Siskin. Making our way back to the Tower, we eventually located a Jack Snipe in the undergrowth (Keith’s photo was later to show at least one other nearby, but their camouflage is so good they are easy to miss). Soon it was time to head home but having seen some good birds we were both happy.
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