Where's Waldo?
April 29th, 2010
A treat at Mer Bleue this afternoon:
Actually, Waldo's not so hard to find in this picture. But when I first saw him, with naked eye, he looked only like a cattail that was a little darker, and leaning a little more to the right than the others. I twigged to it only because I'd been expecting it. I'd been listening to him call for the last half hour!
This is an American Bittern, a shy, stealthy and well-camouflaged marsh heron. American Bitterns are so shy that, if startled, they usually won't flush. Instead they'll stand erect with their bill straight up and sway in the breeze to imitate a cluster of reeds. Only my second sighting ever of this species and my first opportunity to photograph one, so it was pretty exciting.
Click on the link above to hear this bird's very unusual "water pump" mating call.
April 29th, 2010
A treat at Mer Bleue this afternoon:
Actually, Waldo's not so hard to find in this picture. But when I first saw him, with naked eye, he looked only like a cattail that was a little darker, and leaning a little more to the right than the others. I twigged to it only because I'd been expecting it. I'd been listening to him call for the last half hour!
This is an American Bittern, a shy, stealthy and well-camouflaged marsh heron. American Bitterns are so shy that, if startled, they usually won't flush. Instead they'll stand erect with their bill straight up and sway in the breeze to imitate a cluster of reeds. Only my second sighting ever of this species and my first opportunity to photograph one, so it was pretty exciting.
Click on the link above to hear this bird's very unusual "water pump" mating call.
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