I spent the majority of my day off at Gosforth Park NR yesterday in search of the Little Bittern. As soon as I had entered the reserve both Great Spotted and Green Woodpecker were calling form the same tree.
Unable to get a decent view from the full Pyle hide I wondered around the reserve for a while in the hope that the Bittern could pop up anywhere. It didn't and it was back to the hide where I managed to get a a seat. It had last shown 45 minutes before I arrived and was in the reeds opposite the hide. With my bins trained on that section for 4 and a bit hours eventually it paid off as I got very brief views of the Little Bittern flying through the tress to the right of the hide and out of sight. Although the views were somewhat disappointing I did see a flyby Kingfisher, juvenile Water Rail feeding in the mud to the left of the hide and brief views of a Hobby as it flew off having earlier been perched on a dead tree at the back of the pool. Also an Otter was constantly mobbed by nesting gulls and Terns from the raft as it swam through the water.
