Horicon Marsh: American Bittern
Another highlight from my trip to Horicon Marsh in Wisconsin was watching a very tame American bittern strut through the marsh just off the viewing platform. Bitterns are usually secretive birds that hide amongst the cattails making them hard to spot. With their brown coloring, upright head and often motionless stance, it is easy to overlook them when scanning the marsh vegetation.
This bittern was constantly moving out in the open with no fear of humans. Maybe it is used to the constant presence of people walking the boardwalk to an elevated viewing platform. It was certainly cooperative and allowed me to get some nice photos of it without too much work.
From All About Birds:
American Bitterns are medium-sized herons with thick, compact bodies. They have shorter legs and thicker necks than typical herons and a slightly hunched posture. The daggerlike bill is long, straight, and sharply pointed. The wings are broad but the wingtips are somewhat pointed.
I was thinking these bitterns are a boring brown color until it flew a short distance so I could see the dark feathers on the outer wings making for a more striking color contrast.
More from All About Birds:
Bitterns are stealth predators and typically stand motionless as they wait for prey to approach, or stalk it with barely perceptible motions. They adopt a classic pose when alarmed, with the beak pointing straight up, helping this streaky bird blend in with its reedy background. They tend to forage alone.
Sightings like this make for a fun day of birding and an appreciation of the wildlife refuge for allowing me to be out in the thick of the marsh.
The bittern ruffling their feathers was a stark difference in beauty as compared to the statue like pose!
What a wonderful opportunity! Thanks for sharing the bittern with us. It's interesting how, even if a bird population is generally shy, you can occasionally have an individual that allows a closer connection. So grateful!