This film is part of Free

Reed Marsh

From redshanks, reed warblers and ruffs to the brooding of young bitterns - this film is a twitcher's delight. Filmed at bird reserves Minsmere and Scolt Head.

School programme and Educational film 1955 53 mins Silent

From the collection of:

Logo for East Anglian Film Archive

Overview

Specialist filmmaker and natural history enthusiast, John Chear would have had special access and patience to film these wonderful scenes of birdlife in the habitats of Minsmere in Suffolk and Norfolk's Scolt Head and what a record they are! In particular the brooding of young bitterns hatched amongst the reeds would have been quite a coup at the time and the results of devoted time and talent.

Minsmere RSPB reserve was established only 8 years earlier in 1947 making use of the wetland habitats on low lying landscape reflooded during the war against invasion of the East Anglian coast. Bitterns were once one of the rarest and secretive birds now enjoying a population 'boom' thanks to reserves just like this. Hertfordshire based, John Chear was a Fellow of the Royal Photographic Society and the Linnean Society and made a number of films focusing on wildlife.