American Bittern

Sometimes you can stand right in front of an American Bittern and not see it. On 26 January 2022, a fellow birder at the Nisqually national wildlife refuge told us that a bittern was hanging around along the edge of a creek. I looked where he pointed and, only then did I saw something move. The bird is even hard to see in my photos. Bitterns are common, but so elusive that comparatively little is known about bittern biology. Bittern populations are declining as wetlands are destroyed or degraded across North America.