Rare Bitterns Breeds For First Time In Over 200 Years

One of the UK’s most rare and threatened bird species has successfully bred on the Gwent Levels for the first time in over 200 years. Bittern chicks have fledged from two separate nests at the Newport Wetlands nature reserve.

"The last record of bitterns nesting in south Wales was over 200 years ago, so the fact that this iconic bird is nesting at Newport Wetlands goes to show how the creation and management of reedbeds at this site has paid off. We hope that this nesting will be a sign of what's to come, and that more rare wildlife will settle at this site and across the Gwent Levels in the future."