09-04-2025
One of the UK's rarest birds spotted on Norfolk Broads
A photographer has captured spectacular images of one of the UK's rarest birds on the Norfolk Broads.
Lynne Warner, a volunteer photographer for the Broads Authority, spotted the bittern at Hickling Broad.
Bitterns are often hard to spot as they blend into the reeds with their camouflaged plumage (Image: Lynne Warner)
The birds can remain motionless for hours to avoid detection (Image: Lynne Warner)
After battling long COVID for the past five years which has "severely impacted" Lynne's life, any opportunity to get out is cherished.
"It really made my day to have a brief sighting as it is an amazing moment when you see one clearly," she said. "I was in the hide for three hours so my patience paid off.
Lynn was positioned in the hide for three hours to catch sight of the rare bird (Image: Lynne Warner)
They fly with retracted necks, unlike cranes (Image: Lynne Warner)
"It appeared suddenly from the reeds to the right and flew low over the pool towards the left side where a male had boomed earlier."
READ MORE: 'Beautiful' images capture kingfisher at nature reserve
The bittern is often hard to spot as it spends most of its time camouflaged within the reedbeds.
It has been a record-breaking year for bittern sightings in the country (Image: Lynne Warner)
The bird was seen crossing the pond before hiding in the reeds (Image: Lynne Warner)
With the ability to stand motionless for long periods to avoid detection, patience is key to spot one of the UK's rarest birds.
It has been another record-breaking year for the bird with 283 booming males recorded in the latest results from the RSPB and Natural England - the biggest jump since monitoring began in 1990.
