Rare bittern seen in Sheffield woman’s back garden

Bitterns became extinct in the UK in the late 19th Century due to persecution and draining of their wetland habitats for agriculture.

They returned in the early 20th Century, with numbers peaking in the 1950s, but fell once again in 1997 when just 11 males were heard.

In 2024, 283 booming males were recorded in the country, and in Yorkshire they have flourished at reserves including RSPB Old Moor, near Barnsley, RSPB St Aidan’s, near Castleford, and the Yorkshire Wildlife Trust-managed Potteric Carr near Doncaster. The latter recorded its best-ever breeding season this summer, with six juveniles fledging.

Emma Tuckey, senior reserve manager at RSPB Old Moor, said: “Whilst this bittern was clearly lost, it’s the time of year that bitterns are on the move. It was seen in a few local gardens, rooftops and by the River Sheaf.

“Bitterns are usually very shy birds, skulking around reedbeds, rarely being seen. It’s only in springtime that they become a bit easier to spot when the females fly from the nest site to different ponds to get fish to feed their young. The rest of the year it’s pot luck and such a joy to see them.”

Tuckey added that the careful restoration of reedbeds since the early 2000s was a key reason why bittern numbers had recovered.

“I think this inner-city sighting is testament to the years of conservation efforts in Yorkshire to bring the bittern back from near-extinction.

“RSPB Old Moor has helped around 80 bittern chicks since the reedbeds were created. It could well be one of Old Moor’s bitterns looking for a new home, having a pit stop en route to another patch of reedbed.”