Heavy rain forecast all day and with no sign of it easing off we decided to spend a few hours in the bird hide at Far Ings Nature Reserve, Barton. What a fabulous afternoon. A couple of kingfishers flew around on and off all afternoon, constantly calling. Then we had our target bird, a bittern, that walked out and crossed the opening infront of the bird hide. It stopped, had a good look round and a massive feather shake, before continuing onto the other side and disappearing. A second bittern was on the far bank where it remained all afternoon. We had a constant display of water rails that seemed secure in the greyness and rain. A cetti's warbler and a few bearded tits added to the day list. Just us two in the hide all afternoon and we really enjoyed the birds, our flask of coffee, mince pies and the silence.
