American Bittern Botaurus lentiginosus: an historic first for Essex
Glegg (1929) actually visited most Essex museums to view the bird collections, but Hudson and
Pyman (1968) and Cox (1984) did not, relying more on the Essex Bird Reports. Glegg in particular
extensively researched Essex literary sources, but he found no references to the Saffron Walden
specimen. Henry Seebohm's four-volume work (Seebohm 1883-5) and his later work (Seebohm
1886) not surprisingly made no reference to this American Bittern specimen, as he had not visited
the museum until about 1891.
This record does reasonably conform to the pattern of other 19th century records that have a bias to
western and south coast counties. Accepted records have occurred typically in autumn/winter time
as follows; -
autumn 1804
22nd December 1829
mid-October 1844
8th December 1845
early February 1848
c.1851
November 1854
c.1861
autumn 1862
26th November 1867
pre-1871
4th December 1871
October 1872
4th November 1873
25th March 1875
late October 1875
late October 1875
January 1877
27th October 1882
30th November 1883
13th November 1886
about December 1888
winter 1898
Puddlctown, Dorset
near Plymouth, Devon
Dinwiddie Moors, Dumfries & Galloway
nr Fleetwood, Lancashire
Loch Martnaham, Strathclyde
Anglesey
Balgownie Links, Grampian
Pentland Hills, Lothian
Latheronwheel, Caithness
Pevensey, E. Sussex
Oakley Park, Shropshire
Slingsby, N. Yorkshire
St David's, Dyfed
Tresamble, Cornwall
Drumlanrig Castle, Dumfries & Galloway
nr Barnstaple, Devon
Islay, Strathclyde
Woodside, nr Lymington, Hampshire
Harlsey Hall, Welbury, N. Yorkshire
Amberley, W. Sussex
Elstow, Bedfordshire
Loch na Bo, Pitgavenny, Grampian
Long Sutton, Somerset
A wide spread of records is apparent, the bias being to the west coasts as far north as Scotland, but
note the occurrences along the English Channel as far east as Sussex (1867, 1883 and also 1932)
and, in particular, the inland occurrence in Bedfordshire (1886). Consequently an Essex record is
not too unusual or unexpected.
Historical Summary of the Essex 1826 American Bittern
1826 Shot at Wenden in spring. Procurer unknown. Stuffed as part of a batch of birds for £1 0 0 for
Jabez Gibson (a committee member of the Saffron Walden Natural History Society) by William
Travis/Travers, living at Audley End House near Saffron Walden.
cl834 Donated to the Museum by Jabez Gibson from his collection, according to the Museum's
first Catalogue 1832-35. This collection may have been Jabez Gibson's personal collection
or part of the collection of the Saffron Walden Natural History Society. Accepted as a female
Essex Naturalist (New Series) 19 (2002)
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