The last (and first) time I visited the London WWT Wetland Centre in Barnes was shortly after the second lockdown, and all the hides were closed; so this was the first time I could get a feel of what it was like. Yesterday, there were not many birds around, but I did see a Bittern which was a real surprise, as they are one of the UK's most illusive birds. Talking to WWT staff I found out that the London Wetland Centre hosts a very small number of overwintering Bitterns each year.
Birds seen: Redshank, a Snipe, Canada Geese, Greylag Geese, Egyptian Geese, Cormorants, Shelducks, Tufted Ducks, Gadwall, Wigeon, Mallards, Black Headed Gulls, Herring Gulls, Great Black-Backed Gulls, Moorhens, Coots, Carrion Crows, Magpies, Mute Swans, Grey Herons, a Bittern, Robins, Blue Tits, Ring-Necked Parakeets
Map from: London map | WWT
From the Dulverton Hide
Grey Heron
From the WWT Hide
Tufted Ducks
Marshes
Gadwall
Shellduck
Male Shoveler
Gadwall
From the Peacock Tower hide
Lapwing and Coot
Lapwings
From the Wader Scrape Hide
Toward the Peacock Tower Hide
Morehen and Snipe
Male Shoveler
From the Headley Hide
Wigeon (Black-Headed Gulls in the background)
The Reedbeds between Headley Hide and the Wildside Hide
From the Wildside Hide
Cormorants in breeding plumage
View of the Peacock Tower Hide from the Wildside Hide
A Mute Swan
Island in the Reservoir Lagoon with Grey Herons, Cormorant and Black-Headed Gulls, and in the reeds and the back of the lagoon, a Bittern
The Bittern enlarged.
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