All my bird-watching days I have wanted to photograph a water rail. They are shy, busy birds that skulk in reed beds — people say ‘Oh yes, they are here.’ But they never show themselves to us. Just the occsional flash of a tail feather as they disappear into the reeds. Not even a burst of their alleged piglet-like squeal. Don’t bother to follow the call, as I did, unless you want to inspect your neighbour’s new weaners! 

Last week we went to Slimbridge looking for Bewick swans:

What did we find? A water rail! Bold as brass, trotting around the edges of a shallow pond.

What a beautiful bird and not at all reticent, just very focused on the hunt.

Oh, and what of the Bewicks?

Not many, most were out and about grazing on the surrounding fields. But, what a bonus–

They were wiped out in the UK in the 1600s and have only been seen again since 1979 — there has been lots of work re-introducing these iconic birds from captive breeding programs. In 2022 there were over 70 pairs breeding in the wild in the UK — mainly in the Eastern counties and the Somerset levels. We’ve seen them in the Nene Washes.