The Eurasian bittern has returned to the Rode Del as a breeding bird. After an absence of several years, the booming call of the male was once again heard for a prolonged period in the spring. The booming call is reminiscent of foghorns that can be heard for miles. From early May, things remained quiet. But in the middle of June, this secretive reed bird was again spotted in flight. This indicates it may possibly be breeding. The wardens are keeping their eyes peeled for any young birds leaving the nest.
Are you curious about the booming call of the Eurasian bittern? You can listen to it here!
The return of this beautiful species is the culmination of a lengthy process. When wardens from Natuurpunt took over the ponds in 2011, they were covered with nets and the water had a green algae colour. The Natuurpunt volunteers dismantled the nets and regularly filled and drained the ponds, which gradually caused the nourishing sediment to deteriorate. The bottom-feeding carp were also caught, which allowed the water to become clear again. In 2015, rudd and roach were introduced which, together with their offspring, provide bulk food for the Eurasian bittern.
Restoration work is now taking place in the ‘De Rode Del’ area, thanks to the LIFE SCIP project. Read more about this work here (ENG).
Natuurpunt is going to expand further the habitat of the Eurasian bittern and also the little bittern and the weatherfish by restoring the fens to the south of the ponds. Until recently, these were overgrown with trees and shrubs and the dykes had been breached in several places, which caused them to run dry when the level of the adjacent brook fell. In the first months of 2017, the fens were completely opened up. Read more about this work here. And this winter, the dykes will be repaired and this will allow an optimum level to be set for the ponds. In this way, a large fen area will be created together with the adjacent Goorken, and this will provide the ideal habitat for protected European species.
This sub-project was realised thanks to our project partner, Natuurpunt. Would you like to know more about Natuurpunt? Visit the website here.
