[va-bird] The Am Bittern Show

Trading in the trip leader hat for my camera and 400mm lens, I was intent on 
trying for the cooperative Am. Bittern at Huntley Meadows this afternoon. The 
bird did not disappoint. The bird showed up to the east of the boardwalk, 
about halfway toward the tower from where the loop ends. After slipping and 
sliding and skulking and doing the point the beak at the sky thing for about 
30 minutes,  the Bittern slipped out in to full view, about 20 feet from the 
boardwalk and posed on a tuft of marsh grass.  The light was perfect, sun 
going down right behind us as about a dozen people watched our pretty preen 
and squat and stretch one wing and then the other turn its head right - "not 
my best side - how's this" - turn its head left - felt like I needed to turn 
on the wind machine and some bouncy music...yeah baby yeah , give it up for 
the camera...This went on for at least 30 minutes - quite a show for some of 
the folks there who had never seen an AM Bittern. One of those magical 
happenings that come along to bless our lives. 

At the end our Bittern just turned and flew off toward the tree line. About 
the only thing missing was the bloonking and squarking...

Oh yeah, and while I was there, I also managed to snap a few pics of the Sora 
who was hanging around the "bridge" part of the boardwalk...film at 11...Rich 
Rieger


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