Catching a glimpse of the magnificent bittern, one of Britain's rarest and most elusive birds, is a treat for anyone but the residents of Bamber Bridge in Preston couldn't believe their eyes when one was seen walking along the road!
Going hungry
Spotted by a member of the public, the bird was collected and examined by the local RSPCA centre. It was found to be uninjured but considerably underweight at only 900g. It's believed that it'd been unable to find sufficient food during the recent cold weather snap.
Dr Andrew Kelly, manager of RSPCA Stapeley Grange, said: 'We don't know whether it is one of the breeding birds from Leighton Moss or a winter visitor from elsewhere. Either way, hopefully it will integrate with the population at Leighton Moss and survive well.'
Successful release
After a hearty diet of sprats its weight increased to a healthier 1.4 kg and last week it was successfully released at our Leighton Moss nature reserve.
Robin Horner, Leighton Moss Site Manager, said: 'The bittern is certainly one of the UK's rarest birds, and it's wonderful that this one has been found and looked after. We managed to identify it as a male bird, put a red ring on the left leg and a BTO metal ring on the right, before successfully releasing back into the wild.'
The bittern has since been seen at Leighton Moss on a couple of occasions-please keep an eye on the reserve's recent sightings page to track it's progress.