'Beardies' at Radipole Lake, Dorset

 

Bearded Tit - RSPB Radipole Lake, Dorset, UK - 6 January 2026

Surely one of the most charismatic of reedbed birds, as well as one of the most scarce, the Bearded Tit (or more strictly Bearded Reedling, see later) Panurus biarmicus is a highlight of any day's birdwatching. I'm lucky that my local reserve at Radipole Lake is one of the best places in Britain to see this species, and today's crisp, sunny (and cold) winter morning promised ideal viewing conditions. I headed off in a state of great anticipation.

Bearded Tit habitat - reedbeds at Radipole Lake.

Not that Bearded Tits are always easy to see. For me, that's part of the appeal. Reedbeds are notoriously good at hiding their inhabitants, which makes it all the sweeter when you finally get a glimpse of something. But if you are planning an encounter with Beardies then Radipole Lake, which lies in the middle of Weymouth on the Dorset coast (link to reserve information here), has several key advantages.

First, and most importantly, it hosts fairly stable numbers of the species. I say 'fairly', because Bearded Tits are prone to population fluctuations, especially following severe winter weather. This year some 13 breeding pairs were recorded across the two main Weymouth reserves - Radipole Lake and nearby Lodmoor - which is a reduction from the 22 pairs confirmed across the two sites in 2024. The highest that this number has reached is a count of 35 breeding pairs in 1989. Mind you, it must be difficult to get fully accurate counts of this elusive bird.

It's worth adding that there will often be more Beardies around Radipole and Lodmoor than the above figures might suggest. One breeding pair may have three or even four broods in a season, and each clutch can contain up to five or six eggs. Non-br,eeding birds will therefore add to the breeding population, leading to surprisingly large flocks especially later on in the year. My own record for Radipole was a flock of 16 some years ago. Although generally faithful to a single area, which will almost always be a large reedbed, Bearded Tits are known to to be efficient dispersers, and there have been many records of large flocks leaving their wetland homes ('irruptions') during autumn. This is more likely to take place if the seed crop of reeds, which is their main winter food source, has failed. 

Before researching this post I hadn't realised that (in modern times at least) Bearded Tits are a relatively recent arrival in Dorset. Across Britain as a whole, the species almost became extinct after the winter of 1947, with a few birds just hanging on in East Anglia. In Dorset, post-war breeding was first recorded in 1967 - at Radipole Lake, as it happens. It is a special place for these birds.

Bearded Tit - Radipole Lake - 6 January 2026

Radipole's other main advantage for Bearded Tit-watchers, and indeed seekers after other reedbed specialities such as Marsh Harrier and Cetti's Warbler, is its accessibility. The reserve is a short walk from Weymouth station and benefits from a truly massive car park (but avoid the place on a busy summer's day when holiday-makers are heading to the nearby beach). There are several paths through the reserve that allowing close views into the reeds, while shelters and platforms provide vantage points where you can scan for more distant flying birds. (Note: some of these facilities may be due for removal in the near future as a result of the RSPB's recent re-evaluation of reserve visitor facilities).

Given both the extent of the reedbeds within the Radipole Lake reserve and the mobility of Bearded Tits within that habitat, there are no guarantees about where (or indeed whether) any will turn up. In recent years, the Buddleia Loop has been a productive location, particularly near to the low stone bridge towards the north of the reserve. However, in the last couple of years the best place to start looking has been - conveniently enough - just over the bridge by the reserve's Discovery Centre and car park. 

Discovery Centre - RSPB Radipole Lake

And indeed today I was greeted by the encouraging sight of several birdwatchers on this very bridge pointing cameras into the reeds. A small number of Beardies were dangling off seed-heads, performing all sorts of acrobatics as the reed stems swayed gently from side to side: conditions that were not ideal for photography, needless to say. The birds that I photographed were all neat males, looking dapper with their drooping, pantomime villain-like moustaches (surely not "beards"?).  While the females share the same overall light brown colouration, their brown and white heads lack the grey and black combination that makes the males appear so striking. None turned up while I was looking.

Bearded Tit - Radipole Lake - 6 January 2026

I've referred to these birds as Bearded Tits for most of this post but, as mentioned at the start, the species is now called Bearded Reedling in most sources, including the HBW/Birdlife Checklist that I (usually) take as my starting point. This is fair enough as, first, the species is almost always found in and around reeds and, second, it is emphatically not a tit: this seems to have been an error started by taxonomist Carl Linnaeus as early as the 1750s. Its exact position on the tree of life has been a matter of subsequent debate, which now seems to have been resolved by creating a new family - the Panuridae - and making it the sole member. While this could be seen as a bit of a cop-out, it does reinforce the peculiarly distinct nature of this marvellous little bird. Which can only be a good thing.

Happily, at the time of writing the Bearded Tit is not listed as a bird of conservation concern in the UK (link to BTO Red List website here) and given its wide distribution, which extends eastwards across Europe and Asia to China, and a generally increasing population trend, it is classed as being of 'least concern' in worldwide conservation terms (link to IUCN Red List website here). Nevertheless, as its habitat preferences are so restricted, the species' future prospects will inevitably be tied to the future of wetland areas in general and reedbeds in particular.  And clearly there are many issues affecting such areas, most notably (at the moment in the UK) water quality. But that's for another blog post, maybe.

References

Birds in England (Andy Brown & Phil Grice) 2005 (T & AD Poyser)

Dorset Bird Report 2024 (Dorset Bird Club) - recommended!

  

How to See a Smooth Snake

 

Smooth Snake - RSPB Arne, Dorset, UK

Smooth Snakes are the rarest, the hardest to find and (for me) the coolest of Britain's reptiles. 

Three things make it difficult to find a Smooth Snake. First, they have a massively restricted range. Second, even when you are on their home turf, they aren't exactly showy, preferring to skulk low down under vegetation. Third - and this is the really tricky one - they (and their habitats) are strictly protected by law. Don't go looking for one by yourself without a licence!

I'll look at each in turn and then suggest how you might get that elusive encounter. But I'll start with a couple of disclaimers: I am a volunteer reptile surveyor for Amphibian and Reptile Conservation and all of the Smooth Snake images in this post have been taken under relevant licences. 

Smooth Snake Identification

First things first: how would you recognise a Smooth Snake if you saw one?  

Smooth Snake - RSPB Arne (handled under licence)

Smooth Snakes are smaller than you might expect, being no longer than 50-55cm long. The background colour is often brown or grey (or a brownish grey!), with conspicuous spots along the back. These spots are usually brown, but can be darker in younger individuals, as in the image at the start of this blog post. But bear in mind that there are some dark (melanistic) individuals out there.

As with many snakes, the head is the best place to look for identification features. Smooth Snakes have a prominent heart-shaped mark (or 'crown') on the top of the head, which can range from black to brown as these photos show. The pattern is not uniform, allowing individuals to be identified from their particular pattern. They also have a dark horizontal stripe through the eye.  

Here's a close-up of the head of that Smooth Snake:

Smooth Snake head (detail)

Possible Confusion Species

If you are in the right part of the country - and I'll come to that shortly - then you could also encounter two other snakes, as well as one legless lizard. I'll take these in turn.

The easiest snake to rule out is the Grass Snake (below).

Grass Snake - RSPB Radipole

Grass Snakes are Britain's most distinctive snake. Generally much larger than Smooth Snakes, they can be 80cm to one metre long but sometimes more. The one in the photo above was relatively small. Grass Snakes are often found near, or sometimes in, ponds and other water bodies: frogs, toads and newts form a big part of their diet. But garden compost heaps are also popular places for them to hang out.

Apart from their respective sizes, there are three main differences between Grass Snakes and Smooth Snakes:

• Grass Snakes have a distinct collar with yellow or orange patches in front of a conspicuous black mark. This collar is absent in Smooth Snakes. Here's a close-up of that Grass Snake's head:

Grass Snake head (detail)

• The background colour of Grass Snakes is usually greenish-olive, compared to the usual grey-brown of Smooth Snakes. (But bear in mind that the colour of both species can vary.) 
• Although both Smooth and Grass Snakes are spotted, the markings on Grass Snakes tend to be a sharply distinct black colour and located along the flanks rather than the back. As already mentioned, the spots on Smooth Snakes are usually brown, although young Smooth Snakes can have darker and more obvious markings than adults. 

Rather more confusing is the Adder (below), Britain's only venomous snake:

Adder - Isle of Jura, Scotland

Adders are often in a similar size bracket to Smooth Snakes (40-55cm long), although female Adders can be bigger (up to 70cm). It should go without saying that Adders are dangerous (they do bite people and their venom is potentially fatal), so keep your distance and do not handle them! 

At first glance, Adders and Smooth Snakes share some characteristics: as well as being of a broadly similar size, both species have regular patterns on their backs and dark marks on the top of their heads. However, Smooth Snakes have spots on their back while Adders have a dark zig-zag pattern. But note that Adders are variable in colour, and some of the lighter examples can look similar to Smooth Snakes. Black Adders are more common than melanistic Smooth Snakes.

Also, the pattern on the top of an Adder's head is a dark V or X shape (see below) while, as already described, Smooth Snakes have a heart shaped mark. 

Adder head with V-shaped mark - West Bexington, Dorset

The good news is that there is a definitive way to distinguish Adders from either of the other two native British snakes: Adders have red eyes with a vertical pupil (see below). Smooth Snakes and Grass Snakes have eyes with round pupils. This is best viewed with close-focus binoculars or by taking photos with a decent camera lens. Keep well separated from the snake itself.

Adder head showing vertical pupil - West Bexington, Dorset

For the sake of completeness, don't forget Slow Worms. At first sight, these legless lizards can be mistaken for snakes, but a closer look will reveal a lizard-like head, a more 'chunky' profile than a snake and a characteristically smooth and shiny skin. In fact, they can look smoother than a Smooth Snake. If you get really close to a Slow Worm then you'll see that (like all lizards) they blink. Snakes don't.

Not a snake! Slow Worm in the garf- Dorset, UK

Slow Worms are common, and welcome, residents of less-tidy gardens (my garden included). But they are also found on lowland heaths that are occupied by Smooth Snakes. Indeed, Slow Worms form part of the diet of Smooth Snakes, although Sand Lizards and small mammals (especially young mice) are more commonly eaten. There's more about lizards in a previous blog post.

An excellent reptile identification guide is available as a free download from Amphibian and Reptile Conservation.

Smooth Snake habitat - lowland heath at RSPB Arne, Dorset, UK

Seeing Smooth Snakes

In Britain, Smooth Snakes are only found on the lowland heathlands of southern England, especially those in Dorset, Hampshire and Surrey. Reintroductions have taken place in other southern counties including in Devon on the Pebblebed Heaths National Nature Reserve - more details here.

There is a UK distribution map for Smooth Snake in the National Biodiversity Network Atlas.

In my patch of Dorset, Smooth Snakes are present on various heathlands in Purbeck (the area south of Wareham) and the wider Poole Harbour basin. There are good numbers (35-40 individuals according the RSPB's news release that I've linked above) at RSPB Arne, where I am a volunteer, although they are rarely (if ever) seen by visitors; most casual snake sightings on the reserve tend to be of Adders. While Adders can sometimes be seen basking on open ground, Smooth Snakes are more more reluctant to emerge from the stands of deep heather where they spend most of their time. Even when warming up, they will often be wrapped around heather stems, providing very effective camouflage. If you have seen a Smooth Snake out in the open, and it does happen, then you have been extremely lucky.

Smooth Snake vanishing into the heather - RSPB Arne

As already mentioned, Smooth Snakes are strictly protected (here's the relevant legislation). Searching for one by yourself risks breaking the law, as well as disturbing a fantastic species that I'm sure we all want to protect. Fortunately, there are better ways of seeing Smooth Snakes in the wild.

Several of the organisations that own or manage heathland reserves arrange guided walks where a licensed surveyor will take groups out in search of reptiles. In the right locations these have a very good chance of seeing Smooth Snakes, as well as other heathland stars such as the spectacular Sand Lizard - although as with all wildlife encounters nothing is guaranteed. An added advantage is that you will learn a bit about the habits and ecology of the species concerned.

Some of the places and organisations that run reptile walks in Smooth Snake habitat are listed below, but bear in mind that at the time of writing this (November 2025) we are out of the reptile viewing season, so most events are unlikely to be scheduled before Spring 2026:

RSPB Arne - link here.

Dorset Wildlife Trust - link here

Dorset Heaths Partnership - link here

Surrey Wildlife Trust - link here

Amphibian and Reptile Conservation (link here) run more in-depth training courses for reptile surveyors which are well worth considering if you live near areas of good reptile habitat and would like to spend more time surveying and helping to conserve these fascinating creatures. 

Further Reading

Beebee, T. and Griffiths, R. (2000) Amphibians and Reptiles. (Collins New Naturalist). Excellent detail about the ecology and life histories of Britain's snakes.

Inns, H. (2009). Britain's Reptiles and Amphibians. (Princeton Wildguides). Really useful, as it focuses upon the few British snake species, and well illustrated. Howard is the person holding a Smooth Snake in one of the photos in this blog.

Speybroeck, J. et al. (2016) Field Guide to the Amphibians & Reptiles of Europe (British Wildlife Field Guides) London: Bloomsbury. This contains far more detail that you need for snake-spotting in Britain, but it's good to understand our species in their wider European context.

 

By Boat to the Great Bear Rainforest

 

Grizzly Bears (above) and Orcas (aka Killer Whales), the two wildlife stars of Canada's Pacific Northwest, were top of my 'must see' list for a trip to British Columbia this summer. But what was the best way to guarantee sightings of both?  

The Great Bear Rainforest (link here) holds one of the largest populations of Grizzly Bears on Canada's west coast. It is an area of scenic splendour, where the Coast Mountains plunge from high icefields down densely forested slopes to fjord-like inlets that penetrate deep into the mountain massif. There are few settlements and no road access. Getting into this landscape requires either boat or floatplane while accommodation options are limited to a small number of wilderness lodges. None of this comes cheap.

September is the peak season for grizzly sightings when the bears hang around river mouths to feast on the annual salmon run. But the need to stick to UK school holidays meant that we had to travel earlier in the summer. Could we justify the expense of a lodge stay at a time when bears might be harder to find?

A bit of online research provided the answer. Sea Wolf Adventures is a First Nations-led tour company that runs day trips from Port McNeill at the northern end of Vancouver Island over the Johnstone Strait, through the pine and spruce-clad islands of the Broughton Archipelago and right into the heart of the Great Bear Rainforest. As well as offering the chance of a Grizzly Bear encounter, these boat tours seek out the area's marine life highlights, of which Orcas top the bill. The chance to score my two top wildlife goals in a single day was too good an opportunity to miss.

Vancouver Island from the Broughton Archipelago

Port McNeill is a small working port with only a few places to stay or eat. Our base here was the Black Bear Resort Hotel (link), a decent motel just up the hill from the village centre, while the Devil's Bath Brewing Company down by the harbour (link) provided excellent pizzas, a good range of craft ales and a generally nice vibe. Both are recommended.

0630 on a Friday morning saw us down at harbour waiting to get checked in the Sea Wolf Adventures office. The sun was shining and the sea was still: it was a lovely morning. A quick waterfront wander produced the startling sight of two Bald Eagles perched on an electricity pylon. Apparently, this is a normal morning occurrence at Port McNeill. Although these birds are common on Canada's west coast, seeing them so close-up was a special moment. Regal is the word.

Bald Eagle - Port McNeil, Vancouver Island BC

Back at the office we discovered the rest of the party donning life jackets and filling travel mugs with coffee. We met our host (Hannah) and driver (Mike), who led us down to the pontoons and onto the boat, where we shamelessly bagged the two front seats. Mike explained later that the Mayumi, named for his daughter, had been custom-built for the company; two huge outboards gave it some serious thrust when he fully opened the throttle, and it covered the miles with ease.

Mayumi at the dock in Port McNeill

After slowly navigating out of the harbour, Mike set a course for the islands of the Broughton Archipelago on the far side of the Johnstone Strait. The islands form a maze of waterways, along which we cruised slowly looking for bears on the shoreline. There were none to be seen, but a Humpback Whale feeding close inshore near a narrow passage called The Blow Hole came as a surprise; the coastal waters are deep here, even very close to the shore. 

Humpback Whale diving close to the shore - Broughton Archipelago

After passing through the Blow Hole, Mike decided to head up to Knight Inlet and we were soon battling up this arrow-straight fjord at some speed into a stiff wind. Things got a bit bumpy. You might think that these land-enclosed waters would be sheltered, but the mountains here seemed to funnel the wind right towards us.  The skies were overcast and gloomy, a stark contrast to the sun that had been shining over the Johnstone Strait. But these mountains attract the clouds - and the rain. This accounts for the forests' rich understorey vegetation, including berry-bearing bushes like Salal much favoured by bears, as well as the abundant epiphytes that have made their home on tree trunks and branches.

Conifer forests on the shores of Knight Inlet, BC

Mike was on the radio and it’s clear (with hindsight) that he’d been a tipped-off about a bear sighting. After some distance, and about two hours into the boat ride, he aimed the boat at a rocky promontory and slowed down the engines: our first Grizzly Bear was foraging down by the water's edge, an adult female with two cubs (but only one cub visible in the image below). She's also the one pictured in the image at the beginning of this blog post.

Grizzly Bear mother and cub - Knight Inlet BC

From a distance, the adult bear looked just like one of the larger rocks on the shoreline, albeit a rock that was moving. But as we moved closer more detail was revealed. Mike took the boat in slowly and suggested that we might like to get out on deck. I didn't need telling twice, and made a bee-line for the forward hatch. I was soon perched above the bow as the boat came closer towards the rocky shore. 

The Grizzly Bear cub on the left has spotted something ...

The cubs were constantly moving about, also searching for food, although they will be fed on their mother’s milk for up to two years. These ones were probably around 6 months old; cubs are born in the den during the winter months. I loved the way that one cub stood up on its hindlegs, giving a sharp stare to the nearby gulls (above). All three bears seemed unfazed by our presence.

We spent about a quarter or an hour bobbing about getting views of this our first bear family, before another boat appeared which was our signal to head off to avoid overcrowding. The bears didn’t even seem to notice our departure. Mike started to retrace our route westwards down Knight Inlet but stopped after about ten minutes and slowly pulled in towards the shore again. This was bear family number two, another female (below), also with two cubs, occupying a separate territory to the first female. Mike said that this (second) female was the daughter of the first one. And she did look a bit younger and less, well, grizzled than the first adult bear. Grizzlies can live a long time, up to their 30s.

The second Grizzly Bear mother - Knight Inlet, BC

Neither adult bear looked exactly big or chunky, probably because spring and summer have provided them with comparatively short rations. Bears survive remarkably well during hibernation, being able to subsist without food or water for six months by relying on fat reserves and recycling their fluids. During the summer they feed on berries and can scavenge carrion as well as hunting birds and small mammals. But for coastal bears such as these the big feast comes in September with the salmon run, their big chance to stock up before hibernating.

Grizzlies are part of the larger Brown Bear Ursus arctos species which also occurs in Europe and Asia (and originally in parts of North Africa). Brown Bears are classed as being of ‘least concern’ in conservation terms, given their (very) large range and a stable population that may now be increasing in some areas. However, the IUCN’s population estimate (110,000 individuals) is massively less than the 200-250,000 previously estimated in McDonald et al (2002) so it’s not all good news, and some of the more isolated populations of Brown Bears are clearly in trouble. This doesn’t seem to be the case for the Great Bear Rainforest, which (as best I can find out) is home to around 6,000 Grizzly Bears out of some 20,000 in Canada. (Please let me know if more detailed figures are available.)

For completeness, here’s a photo (below) of the second Grizzly mother with her two cubs. We spent ten minutes watching them move slowly over the shoreline rocks before Mike backed the boat away and we resumed our return ride down Knight Inlet.

The second Grizzly Bear mother with both cubs - Knight Inlet, BC

We were pleased with these sightings but one more Grizzly Bear encounter remained in store. Back in the labyrinth of channels through the Broughton Archipelago, Mike navigated us to a sheltered cove next to Bowers Island. Some movement at the forest edge revealed the presence of a lone Grizzly (below), almost certainly a male given its hefty bulk, staring out of the gloom. (I'm blaming the distance and low light levels for the poor quality of the image below).

Male Grizzly Bear seen at a distance!

We sat in the boat waiting to see if he would come out any further. The bear stared straight at us and gave what looked like an exploratory sniff before turning on its tail and stalking slowly back into the forest’s shadows. Oh well - you can't have everything.

It was time to move onto the second phase of the day's explorations, so Mike turned the boat towards the Johnstone Strait heading for Blackfish Sound which, as its name might suggest, is a happy hunting ground for Orcas. That colloquial (and biologically inaccurate) term can equally apply to Humpback Whales, which are also present there. First, however, it was lunchtime, and we stopped for half an hour in another rocky bay, where a Wandering Tattler fly-by (below) was another new entry on the holiday bird list. Wandering Tattlers breed in the far north – Alaska and eastern Russia – but winter down both sides of the Pacific as far south as Chile and Australia. Their ‘wandering’ tag is well justified. (ID note: the thin white stripe above the eye separates Wandering Tattler from the two yellowlegs species, while the absence of a white rump in flight rules out the two dowitchers).

Wandering Tattler - Blackfish Sound, BC

Out on Blackfish Sound the number of seabirds was increasing, and amongst the many gulls (mostly Glaucous-winged and Short-billed) were many good numbers of auks, including the bizarrely-billed Rhinoceros Auklet, another new species for me. The photo below shows the weird horn-like extension sticking out of the top of its bill: technically this is part of the rhamphotheca (a new word for me) which is the keratin sheath that covers the bill's central bone. The horn is only present in breeding adults and is shed each year, like the colourful sheath on a breeding Puffin’s bill.

Rhinoceros Auklet - Blackfish Sound, BC

But our attention was quickly diverted from the auks: our first group of Orcas (below) was up ahead.

Orcas - Blackfish Sound, BC

There were four in the group, keeping very close together. Judging by the dorsal fins, they were two older adults and two younger individuals. The Orcas around Vancouver Island have been the subject of intensive scientific study. This reveals that two main types of Orcas can be found in these coastal waters - Residents and Transients. As might be expected, the Residents stay around here all year round, feeding mainly on fish. In contrast, the Transients - which are a bit larger, with slightly different markings - are more mobile, following and hunting marine mammals. Our Orcas here were Residents, and a study of the most recent photo-catalogue (Towers et al, 2020) meant that Mike and Hannah were able to identify the individuals concerned - namely matriline (the name given to these small female-led groups) number A23.

At this point a second group of Orcas came into view (below). This included an individual with a distinct notch in the back of its dorsal fin. The photo-catalogue, which can be downloaded online, identifies it as female A55, who was born in 1987. Orcas can be very long-lived, with females as old as 90 recorded in the wild.

Two of the second group of Orcas.

Female Orca A55, with notched dorsal fin.

We spent almost an hour watching the two groups of Orcas. At first, I didn’t notice that a massive cruise ship had loomed up behind us, heading south. It seemed a grotesque intrusion into such a peaceful and beautiful scene. Mike moved our boat to one side while the Orcas made off in the other direction. The cruise liner bombed past us at speed and disappeared quickly. I could see very few people on the decks or cabin balconies: were any of them aware of the presence of the Orcas?

It was time for us to move on, but we soon picked up an observer that surfaced close to the boat ...

Steller Sea Lion - Blackfish Sound, BC

One of the largest sea lions, Steller Sea Lion is found on both sides of the northern Pacific. Apart from size, and this was clearly a big beast, the key identification feature for Steller is the pale, almost yellow, colour body which contrasts with the dark limbs - seen below giving us a cheeky wave.

Steller Sea Lion waving a flipper.

Steller Sea Lion

And that was almost the end of the show. After a brief detour past the settlement at Alert Bay, where Mike gave us a bit of the history of the First Nations and their battles with authorities to protect their culture and way of life, we made the short crossing back to Port McNeill. 

Sea Otter - Port McNeill, BC

But there was a final wildlife highlight: a single male Sea Otter (above) was having a snack just outside the breakwater of Port McNeill harbour. Further south on the Pacific coast, these engaging animals are easily (and famously) seen in California's Monterey Bay - see my blog post about them here - where they are present in good numbers.

The fortunes of Vancouver Island's Sea Otters haven't been quite as rosy as their Californian cousins. Originally hunted to extinction for fur, the species was reintroduced to the island in the late 1960s with 89 otters brought down from Alaskan waters. Numbers have since grown significantly, with over 3180 counted in 2005 - the most recent data that I can find (Nichol, 2005). The relocation site was on the Pacific Ocean side of the island (the opposite side to Port McNeill), and that is where the bulk of the Vancouver Island population remains. Mike and Hannah told us that only single males have so far made it around to the Port McNeill area. It's heartening to know that their distribution is still spreading, and hopefully some females will turn up in due course.

And that was that. We went back to the office, handed back out life jackets and travel mugs, and said our farewells. It had been an epic day of wildlife watching. What really stood out, apart from the diversity of species, fantastic scenery and sense of being in a wilderness, was the opportunity to spend a time watching charismatic animals doing their thing in a relaxed and hassle-free way – for both them and us. And that, really, is unbeatable. 

Huge thanks to Mike and Hannah of Sea Wolf Adventures!

References:

McDonald, D. ed. (2006) The Encyclopedia of Mammals. Oxford: OUP.

Nichol, L.M. (2007) Recovery potential assessment for sea otters (Enhydra lutris) in Canada. Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Science.

Shirihai, H. and Jarrett, B. (2006) Whales Dolphins and Seals: A Field Guide to the Marine Mammals of the World. London: A&C Black.

Sibley, D. (2003) Field Guide to the Birds of Western North America. London: Christopher Helm. (Indispensable!)

Towers, J., Pilkington, J., Gisborne, B., Wright, B., Ellis, G., Ford, J and Doniol-Valcroze, T. (2020) Photo-identification Catalogue and Status of the Northern Resident Killer Whale Population in 2019. Nanaimo: Fisheries and Oceans Canada.

 

Exploring Costa Rica's Undiscovered Wetland

Pinnated Bittern - Medio Queso

Mention Costa Rica as a birding destination and you'll quickly start hearing about cloud forests like Monteverde and the Dota Valley or lowland rainforests like La Selva and the Osa Peninsula. But it's not all about forest birding - Costa Rica boasts some fabulous wetlands packed with an enticing range of birds and other wildlife. The most famous include Palo Verde National Park, sited in the otherwise dry forests of the north east, and Caño Negro up in the north, which drains over the border into Lake Nicaragua.

But there's another wetland near the Nicaraguan border that is much less well known, and far more accessible than Caño Negro. This is Medio Queso, which bafflingly translates as 'half cheese'.  Only a short drive east of Los Chiles, the last town before the Nicaraguan border, the wetland is reached by a road that starts near the local airport and, at the time of our visit, ended next to a new bridge (still being built in late 2024) across the Rio Medio Queso. A small dock beside the road is the starting point for a boat ride that explores these productive marshes.  

Medio Queso - relaxed wetland birding

Boat trips have provided some of my tropical birding highlights, and our visit to the wetlands of Medio Queso was no exception. The weather was hot, still and sunny as we cruised under the bridge and headed north along the main channel. The expansive view towards the hills of Nicaragua (above) was a refreshing contrast to the crowded forest trails that we'd experienced over the previous few days. 

Although excellent for birds, the Medio Queso wetlands are not protected – apart, oddly, for the small part over the border in Nicaragua, although you wonder what that means in practice. Our guide, Pat O'Donnell, had done his best to put the place on the Costa Rica birding map, and the presence of boat, boatman and local guide were encouraging signs. (There's more on Medio Queso in Pat's blog - link here).

Northern Jacana - Medio Queso

Water levels were high, and Pat was concerned that it might be harder to locate the key species. As it turned out, we did pretty well. This Northern Jacana (above) gave wonderfully close views. I love jacanas. For me they are a definitive bird of tropical wetlands, effortlessly balancing on lily pads in their hunt for a watery meal. Northern Jacanas look especially smart, with their yellow frontal shield and cool chestnut and black two-tone livery.  Northern Jacana females hold a territory containing up to four males (the technical term is polyandrous) and may be juggling several pair bonds at the same time. Males do most of the parental jobs like incubating eggs and brooding chicks, although females will step in to help at times. Very good of them, I’m sure.

Pinnated Bittern posing at Medio Queso

The jacana was only the start. The boat's passage startled a Pinnated Bittern (above and at the top of this blog post) which was stalking through the shallows. It flew off down the channel in front of us and landed a couple of times before being displaced again as we approached. In the end it gave up and flew off to one side. Pinnated Bitterns share the tendency of their Eurasian cousins to sit silently in reed beds, so getting a clear sight of one like this was very satisfying. The species has an oddly disjointed distribution, being found in various corners of the Neotropics including southern Mexico; a strip across northern South America; and an area including northern Argentina and Paraguay. It is absent from the Amazon basin.

Least Bittern - Medio Queso

A bit of a commotion on the boat announced the sighting of a Least Bittern (above). The guidebooks will tell you that this is an uncommon species in Costa Rica that is difficult to see because of its habit of skulking in dense vegetation. Well, this one was positively showy. In the Birdlife/HBW Checklist (which is the one I follow) Least Bittern is in the same genus (Ixobrychus) as Europe's Little Bittern, which it kind of resembles, and Australia's Black Bittern, which it doesn't. The bird's diminutive size isn't obvious from the above photo, but I can tell you that this is a seriously small heron. 

Neotropical Cormorant - Medio Queso

Rather more common, this Neotropical Cormorant (above) was nicely perched on a cecropia branch. (All of my other sources say ‘Neotropic’, but I’m sticking to the Checklist spelling.) The default cormorant for Central and South America, this species ranges from Texas down to Patagonia. 

At this point there was a burst of excitement as a low shape chugged over the waterway some distance ahead of us - my first Sungrebe. Not a great sighting, and no decent photograph, which is not ideal for a 'lifer' bird, but its characteristically long profile lying low in the water was distinctive enough. Sungrebes are bird oddities, sitting in the same small family as the Finfoots (Finfeet?!). They have a wide distribution across the Neotropics, so I'm sure that a better encounter will come along in the future. But life would dull if every bird sat up nicely for a photograph, wouldn't it? (Wouldn't it??)

More obliging was this Green Heron (above) eyeing up some movement in its riverside tree. It took me a while to be certain of the identification, as it differs from most of the other Green Herons that I’ve seen. This is because it's a juvenile, which is lighter and more streaky than the adult. The dark cap is a bit of a give-away, as is the white stripe below the eye. 

Anhinga - Medio Queso

Nearby, a snake-necked Anhinga (above) sat on the top of another riverside tree, surveying the marshy landscape. Also seen here, but not photographed were Slaty Spinetail, Scissor-tailed Flycatcher, Green-breasted Mango and a Purple Gallinule (below), which was having a bit of a skulk behind some watery vegetation. Think of a large, blue Moorhen and you've got the general idea. 

A Pied-billed Grebe sat at a distance with two young; also here were Snowy and Great White Egrets, Mangrove Swallow, Variable Seedeater and a neat little Common Tody-Flycatcher (below - this photo is actually from Pocosol a couple of days previously). 

Common Tody Flycatcher - Pocosol

Two Little Blue Herons flew over, followed by a flock of Red-winged Blackbirds. A White-throated Crake (below) chugged speedily across the river, white throat not visible. These are Costa Rica's most common crakes, being found in most wetland areas.

White-throated Crake moving at speed - Medio Queso

Yellow-breasted Crake - Medio Queso

Getting good views of birds like crakes is the mark of a successful wetland visit, and here at Medio Queso we were favoured by a second species - the Yellow-breasted Crake (above). This started to stalk away at speed over the lily pads when it caught sight of us, so the field marks are not all easily seen. But you can just make out the black stripe through the eye.

Spectacled Caiman - Medio Queso

It wasn't only birds. This Spectacled Caiman (above) has the sort of smug expression that says ‘I am in a good place for a caiman to be’. Limitless prey and plenty of cover. Although a common species in the Neotropics, it's always good to see one. The presence of the small crocodilians always seems to make a wetland seem all the wilder, even if they are considerably less dangerous than some of their larger cousins.

We had seen Groove-billed Anis on the previous day’s drive up to Los Chiles, but it was good to get a better look at one sitting near the watercourse (below). The grooves in the bill are just about visible here.  Although in the cuckoo family, Anis are communal breeders rather than brood parasites. Females nest together and share duties of feeding and incubation.

Groove-billed Ani - Medio Queso

Now the boatman turned around, and we puttered back under the bridge where we’d begun, continuing on to explore the channel to the south. Several stands of mature trees flanked this section of river, and a number of smaller birds were added to the list: Thick-billed Seed-finch, Canebreak Wren, Orchard Oriole, Barred Antshrike and Rose-breasted Grosbeak. And I realise that I've forgotten to mention this flying Roseate Spoonbill (below) seen earlier in the day; it was quite distant, so my photo doesn't do it justice. They are (literally) brilliant and startling additions to the wetlands of the Neotropics.

Roseate Spoonbill - Medio Queso

The morning had warmed up and raptors were starting to appear. A hawk (below) circled above us, before diving down into the reeds. There was some debate about what it was: Pat suggested White-tailed Hawk, which was confirmed when it flew up again. The single dark band at the tail end is diagnostic; the mopre common Short-tailed Hawk, which has a similar head pattern, has lighter bars on the tail. Also, the wing shape – this is broad and pointed, with a relatively straight trailing edge. Short-tailed Hawk has a more rounded trailing edge. White-tailed Hawk has two colour phases: this was the more common light morph. But it was surprising to see it here because Medio Queso is out of the range shown in the field guide. Very much a species of open lands rather than the forest.

White-tailed Hawk - Medio Queso

The hawk was a suitable way to sign off a magical morning of relaxed wetland birding. The next day we would be back on the rainforest trails - but that's another story.

References

Garrigues, R. and Dean, R. (2014) Birds of Costa Rica (2nd ed). London: Helm

Link to purchase Pat O'Donnell's guidebook How to See, Find, and Identify Birds in Costa Rica