Bittern Botaurus stellaris

I was delighted to get my first sighting of this rare remarkably cryptic member of the heron family in the reedbeds at London Wetland Centre on Sunday.

The Bittern is marked just like a winter reedbed and standing stock still it melted into the background of reed stems wonderfully. This rather hunched up posture was one of several different poses adopted as the action unfolded.

 

Thank you all for your kind responses.

Done