Avalon Marshes records 'remarkable' year for bitterns

The bittern was first bred in Somerset in 2008, after a 40-year absence

Somerset is proving a wildlife haven for a rare bird called the bittern, according to conservationists.

Experts at the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) said the heron, which is rare in this country, has "enjoyed its most successful year in the county since it first bred in 2008" following an absence of 40 years.

In all, 14 males were recorded this year in the Avalon Marshes to the west of Glastonbury - seven more than in 2009.

The Avalon Marshes includes the RSPB's Ham Wall nature reserve and Natural England's Shapwick Heath National Nature Reserve.

Last month, the RSPB revealed the reserve had only the second ever record of bitterns breeding in the UK.

Should anything happen to [the] population then we lose everything Ray Summers, warden at Ham Wall

Ray Summers, RSPB Site Warden at Ham Wall said; "Just when we thought it couldn't get any better - it did.

"Not only did we have our little bittern nest, we also seemed to have their bigger cousins everywhere we looked - it has been a remarkable spring."

In the UK bitterns only nest in reed beds, and the majority of the population is in Norfolk and Suffolk.

According to the RSPB this means the success of these birds in the West Country is "especially important for the national population".

Ray added: "One of the most important things we can do to secure a long-term future for bitterns in the UK is to expand the core population away from its traditional base in East Anglia.

"Having a population of rare birds in one place is risky; should anything happen to that population then we lose everything.

"But having a population that is more dispersed reduces this risk."

The growth in the Somerset population comes as conservationists celebrate the best year ever for the bird in the UK.

A bittern monitoring programme is funded through Action for Birds in England, a conservation partnership between Natural England and the RSPB.