View allAll Photos Tagged bittern
As a break from butterflies and dragonflies, here is an oldie of a Bittern...Botaurus stellaris at Minsmere Nature Reserve, Suffolk, England
More snow last night, enough to cover my tracks in the gdn so now up to about 6 inches - 150mm. Not gone out again & nothing coming to my feeders of any note. Unloading some unposted Bittern pictures from 2012. Had never been so close to a Bittern
I thought the forecast was ideal for Beardies today , didn't see any at all but this bittern practically flew over my head so all was not lost.
Back from a week away enjoying the nature reserves around Silverdale in Lancashire. Cottage was two minutes' walk from Leighton Moss, which we visited a couple of times a day. Managed a couple of rear-end bittern shots during the week before I was presented with this majestic flypast in front of the Grisedale Hide late on our last evening.
What can I say on a roll great kingfisher earlier in the week and now a bittern out in the open.....
I sat in a cold hide for 4 hours awaiting a site of the secretive and elusive Bittern,initially with no luck.I gave up and left the hide only to be told a short time later that 2 Bitterns had just been spotted there.I quickly returned and got some close views of this enigmatic bird as it moved through the Reeds,in front of the hide.
Taken at Slimbridge ,Gloucestershire
What an amazing opportunity this was...
A huge thank you to Tom Robinson (www.wildlife-photography-hides.co.uk) for letting me have a go at this before he opens up the hide to others. Well worth it if you want to see this very rare bird.
This tiny guy is about as elusive as the sora. It lives almost totally in the reeds and marsh plants of the wetlands. The long neck allows it to catch its food while moving around on the reeds and plants without getting its feet wet :).
On this occasion, however, the bird flew into the foliage right as i was standing close by and allowed me to find it down in the plants. Photo taken at the Ritch Grissom Memorial Wetlands, Viera, Florida.
Least Bitterns are a favorite subject not just because of their beauty, but because they are so challenging to get in flight. I haven’t yet gotten a good sense of when they are about to fly, although they often display a pattern of catching a small fish and then moving on. It’s like their cover is blown and they have to go hide somewhere else. They are a small bird, which are listed as 13” tall, but I think that’s when they stretch out their magic neck. Normally I’d say they are about 6-8”. Quite attractive, the male, shown here, has more contrast with those dark wing feathers. I caught this one just as it was making a landing to a new fishing spot. (Ixobrychus exiles) (Sony a1, 400mm lens, f/2.8, 1/3200 second)
I was begining to think I wouldn't see a Bittern in 2020 but this one calmly walked out of the reeds across in front of me. To be fair it's not been an easy year as we all know, so it was good to see this one today.
a quiet minsmere we went straight up to island mere hide as they were reed cutting in front of bittern hide and it turned out to be the only sucsessful hide
Thanks to all who choose to comment etc....Much appreciated.
Bittern - Botaurus Stellaris
KNNR
Taken a few weeks ago!
Taken from the Avalon hide at RSPB Ham Wall. Bird quite happily walked in the opening of the reed beds.
Least Bittern
Many thanks to all those who View, Comment and or Fave My Photos... It is greatly appreciated... Roy
I was amazed when I saw the big feet of the bittern. Overall I didn't know this bird was so big, he's about 75cm/30inch tall!