Bitterns suffer bitter blow after bank holiday floods
This Bank Holiday wasn't just a wash out for us humans, the rain wreaked even more havoc on our feathered friends, and in particular for Britain's rarest bird - the Bittern. Flash floods washed away all but two of the nine nest sites on various RSPB reserves throughout England, a devastating situation as this was due to be one of the best breeding seasons for the rare birds. The number of male Bitterns has fallen to only 44, from a 50 year high of 55 back in 2004, so you can see why this latest turn of events has caused so much concern. The only silver lining to this cloud is the fact that the breeding pairs did get off to an early start this year, so there may be time for them to try again.
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