Four of us ventured into the heat yesterday on a what we thought was going
to be one of our normal summer trips to Greenfield in east-central
Charlotte County. We arrived in the mid-morning and began birding near the
large pond/marsh picking up the usual birds: WOOD DUCKS, RED-HEADED
WOODPECKERS, and GREAT BLUE & GREEN HERONS. As I was scanning across the
marsh a small, light colored, heron-shaped bird flew up from the grasses
about 30-40 yards out and headed away from the road for a few seconds
before dropping again into cover. My mouth mouth hung open in surprised as
I turned and said, "I think I just saw a LEAST BITTERN". The rest of the
group waited and watched (skeptically at first), but then about 15 minutes
later the bird flew up again with everyone getting a quick - but good -
look. Another individual was seen flying farther back later on while the
other bird was closer to the road. The closer bird flew a total of four
times during our over an hour stay near the marsh. This appears to the
first record of Least Bitterns in the Prince Edward and surrounding
counties region of central Virginia.
***CAUTION: Access to the marsh location is on a gravel public road near
two sharp/blind curves. While there is usually not a lot of traffic, please
be careful where you park and stand near this section of the road. It is
recommended to park on the side of the road along the straight part before
you even see the marsh.
Marsh Location:
https://www.google.com/maps/dir//37.0623588,-78.5853146/@37.3367217,-78.5653307,9.77z?hl=en
Complete Checklist:
http://ebird.org/ebird/atlasva/view/checklist/S30584886
Evan Spears
Farmville, VA
