American Bittern Photo
The best experiences are usually the unexpected, and that was the case with this American Bittern. I was driving past a flooded ditch near Atkin's Slough (near Tea, South Dakota) near sundown, when I first heard, and then saw, this guy in the ditch. He was making the booming, odd song of Bitterns, out in the open, without any regard for the guy pulled over in a car 20 feet away. At the end of one song, he second-guessed his position, and raised his neck and head in the typical "hiding" position of a Bittern, but that only lasted for 30 seconds or so before he once again began booming away. Very odd, and very wonderful, to experience it from such a close location...almost felt like you were feeling the vibration instead of hearing it.
Photo taken on May 2nd, 2006 at Atkin's Slough in Lincoln County.
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This page was last edited on 02/03/08