American Bittern Botaurus lentiginosus: an historic first for Essex
This discovery provokes many questions. Why has this specimen remained hidden and unpublished
for so long? Who donated it to the museum? When was it identified and by whom? I had unwittingly
taken on a major research project that would see: another seven visits to the Museum and close
liaison with the Museum staff; research on the Internet and with Saffron Walden local experts; visits
to Essex Record Offices and libraries in Chelmsford, Colchester and Saffron Walden; liaison with
the Essex Field Club and a genealogist specialising in the Travis family, amongst others.
Appendix A contains a full plumage description of the American Bittern compiled by Graham Ekins.
The analysis concludes that the specimen was a first-winter bird that was shot in the spring.
Appendix B contains a detailed history of all Bitterns received in the 19th century by the Saffron
Walden Museum. For simplicity, the Museum's historic references arc treated in chronological order
with discussion taken of the facts presented for each reference.
Discussion
The Museum's accession register number for the American Bittern is SAFWM: NB 135 (assigned
in 1960), the earlier number being SAFWM: 208a (assigned in 1883 - see later).
In Essex's first county avifauna, Christy (1890) stated under the entry for Bittern: ''Mr Clarke notes
the occurrence (24) of the following specimens: - One at Wenden in 1826, one shot by Lord
Braybrooke at Audley End in 1831, and a female (now in the Andley End Collection) shot by Mr G.
Webb at Wenden on Jan. 10th, 1849." Reference (24) is listed as 'Clarke, Joseph F.S.A. (1845
approx.) Notes on Birds (MS.), chiefly made in the vicinity of Saffron Walden'. We discovered that
the 1849 Bittern is still on display in the bird collection at Audley End House, which lies between
Saffron Walden and Wendens Ambo, when we visited on 15th April 2000. A specimen can therefore
survive for over 150 years in a collection. Joseph Clarke, and subsequently Christy, did not list the
collector of the 1826 Wenden specimen, which appeared to be the specimen in front of us.
Christy also tantalisingly stated after all the Bittern records: "It is by no means improbable that
some of the following specimens would, on careful examination, prove to belong to a distinct species,
the American Bittern (B. lentiginosus), which, though a rare straggler in Britain, has occurred at
least a score of times ". This indicated perhaps that he had viewed this particular specimen, but did
not include it in his book presumably due to lack of documentary evidence and/or proof of
identification. Christy was also trying to stimulate the county's ornithologists into action, but his
comments seemingly took 109 years to have the desired effect. Yarrell (1843) also stated under
Bittern: ".. and when we recollect how few records are published of the occurrence of rare visiters
[sic], I think it not improbable that this species may have been taken elsewhere, and remained
unnoticed, or perhaps undistinguished from our Common Bittern. " William Yarrell (1784-1856)
was also a friend of Joseph Clarke and lived in nearby Bishops Stortford (O'Leary 1974). Perhaps
he too had viewed the specimen?
According to the obituary of Clarke (Pitch 1895), he was born on 6th April 1802 and died in 1S95, so
was a contemporary of Henry Seebohm (1832-1895). Joseph Clarke was described as a naturalist
and archaeologist and was closely associated with Saffron Walden Museum from its inception in
1834, when he was listed as a trustee of the Saffron Walden Natural History Society (SWNHS)
(Christy 1890, Fitch 1895). He also authored an abridged catalogue of the museum's contents (Clarke
1845).
Jabez Gibson was also one of the founder members and trustees of the SWNHS, which formed in
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Essex Naturalist (New Series) 19 (2002)