This is a strange species in that the only time any of the plant appears above ground is when it produces it's flower spike and it has no leaves. The orchid gets all it's nutrients from a certain species of fungus that can normally only be found around the root systems of the Beech tree and the orchid exists as a rhizome with a mass of roots that resemble a bird's nest, hence the name. The flowers are normally only produced in the deep shade of a woodland emerging amongst the rotting debris where no other plants thrive. Because of their colour and the colour of their surroundings they can be very difficult to spot amongst rotting wood and leaves.
It is found all over the country but is very localised and classed as near threatened but I had heard that it was present in Reydon wood which is an area of ancient woodland recorded since the 1200's. It certainly wasn't easy to find and I found the best way to see it was by crouching down to near ground level and scanning the surrounding area and in the end I located 3 flower stems but 2 of them were past their best as it normally flowers during May so it's getting very late in the season. Getting pictures without using a flash was difficult in the deep gloom and I ended up returning with a tripod to get reasonably sharp photographs.
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