Moorcroft Secrets of the Reedbed Vase

Designer: Vicky Lovatt

Size: H 23 cm

Shape: 117/9

Limited Edition 10

Britain's loudest bird, the Bittern, is reported to be having an incredible start to the season and is making a comeback at RSPB Leighton Moss in Silverdale, Lancashire.  Leighton Moss is home to the largest reedbed in the north-west of England which provides the ideal habitat for the secretive bird.  This year, the reserve celebrates its 60^th anniversary and, to mark the special occasion, designer Vicky Lovatt has created a new limited-edition vase, Secrets of the Reedbed.

In Vicky’s design a pair of elusive and secretive Bitterns can be discovered hidden amongst the reedbeds, silently moving through the reeds at the water's edge, searching out fish and invertebrates.  Between February and May, the Bitterns ‘boom’ can be heard up to three miles away by a female Bittern but here in this design the only noise is made the Bearded Tits who flit from reed to reed balancing like comical acrobats.  Bearded Tits are a long-tailed bird, sociable and noisy with their ‘ping’ call often being the first clue to their presence.  They are often found flying rapidly across the top of the reedbeds but on this limited-edition vase they have joined the Bitterns to add to the secrets of the reedbed.