Chirps and Cheeps

I finally had some nice, long views of a Least Bittern today - TWO Least Bitterns, actually! I'm quite sure this secretive bird had no idea I was watching over the two of them, otherwise, I'm positive they would've slunk back into the reeds and disappeared from view.  From behind a blind, I got to watch as they hunted frogs, crayfish, and other small aquatic creatures, each straddling a couple of reeds with their long, yellow toes.

I've only had fleeting looks at a Least Bittern before today - and I found myself very surprised at their small size. They're even smaller than a Green Heron, measuring only from 11 to 14 inches in length. Their appearance and posture most resembles that of the Green Heron too but their coloring and shape more resemble an American Bittern. Besides their small size, their darker cap and buffy coloring are also good field marks to ID them.

After about an hour of enjoying the two bitterns, I met up with Doug Happ and we toured the preserve looking for Warblers. We were rewarded with a couple of Magnolias, a Nashville, a Common Yellowthroat, a Blue-gray Gnatcatcher, and the surprise of the day, a Winter Wren.

The Winter Wren was most likely a youngster and seemed to be the source of some Black-capped Chickadees consternation. The chickadees were making a lot of noise and darting around the poor, confused, little wren. Eventually, all quieted down and the chickadees went on their way, but only after giving me a nice photo opportunity for the wren.

Other species we saw were: Belted Kingfisher, 2 Brown Thrashers, Wood Duck, Hooded Mergansers, Common Gallinule, Wild Turkeys, Red-tailed Hawk, Great Blue Heron, Green Heron, Great Egret, Double-crested Cormorant, Northern Flicker, and Downy Woodpecker.