LOVE BITTERN PROJECT

Next steps for people who have juvenile or Bittern fledglings.

The fact that you have juvenile Bittern means that you have enough food and security to get these youngsters to fledging.

Thank you for being great guardians of your freshwater habitats!

At this time of year, especially in the heat of summer these little guys need all the help they can get to make sure they’ve still got access to food and security.

With water levels getting lower in the heat the first check in our ‘Habitat for Hūrepo‘ assessment is vital.

Is your wetland wet enough?

What Bittern need?

• Clear shallow water 15-25cm for foraging on or near cover
• Deeper permanent water with reeds or rushes to provide a secure spot for nesting or resting.
• For 90 days over Spring/Summer to help get recruitment- chicks reaching adulthood!

Why?

• Bittern are visual hunters they need to be able to see their food( fish, eels, frogs) to catch it in CLEAR water.
• Bittern need to be able to walk into the water to catch food, it needs to be SHALLOW Bittern are very wary of disturbance ( people, recreational activities, dogs ) so need to be given peace, space and low stature reeds and rushes to provide cover , plus it also provides ideal habitat for fish too!
• The female spends around 75 days in nesting and chick rearing duties ( the males don’t help) and when the chicks are fledged they’re poor flyers and rely mostly on walking to find their food..if your wetland, or edges of your lake or waterway retains enough water for 90 days it gives these young ones enough time to reach adulthood…

How can you help?

• Can you help the water to be held for longer using deeper pools, bunds or fish friendly weirs?
• Create gently sloped sides into the water so Bittern can access fish through changing water levels (reduce over steepened banks)
• Plant at least one bank in sedges reeds and rushes (not trees!) into the water to provide cover and fish habitat

The next check is…

Is there an abundance of food?

What do Bittern need?

• An abundance of small to medium fish, eels and /or frogs!
• At least for 90 days over Spring/Summer to help get recruitment- chicks reaching adulthood!

Why?

• Because Bittern have BIG appetites, because they are BIG birds ( they are on average 74cm tall and stockier than herons…the rugby players of the heron world! ) and they can’t catch BIG fish so need lots of small ones!
• To get into breeding condition and to be able to raise 3-5 chicks

How can you help?

• Check for fish…it’s as easy as sitting still to observe what fish are there…or you could get a freshwater specialist organisation to carry out a fish survey.. if you can see lots of small to medium fish Bittern can too!
• Make sure there is a sustainable supply ..do your fish have everything they need to be in abundance…what are the fishes breeding requirements?
• Make sure your freshwater habitat is connected by safe passage (low stature planting, no obstructions to fish passage) along waterways for fish and Bitten to get to other wetlands and edges to feed!

These are two of our 7 habitat assessment steps, you can find them all on our website here

Habitat for Hūrepo

Or BOOM out if you need help, want to talk it through or would like a site visit!