American Bittern
This week I was notified by some local birding friends that they had found an American Bittern at a nearby wetlands. This secretive bird is normally very hard to see, as it is camouflaged in the extreme. However, it was completely focused on swallowing as many crayfish as possible. I watched it for about 45 minutes, and was fascinated by the way it moved slowly and methodically, daintily picking its prey from the mud, and swallowing it whole. At one point it did a sort of shimmy movement, which was really interesting to observe. I've never had such good looks at a bittern before, so this was an exceptional moment!
The video of the bittern catching crayfish is so fun to watch. Each movement is slow and perfect with the the feet and claws slowly uncurling from the log he is sitting on to step into the water. And then the reverse when he gets his catch and slowly and deliberately steps back up onto the log.
What a treat! I've never seen one. Thanks for sharing this sighting!