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Reddish Egret White Morph

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Latest Birds: Black-throated Green Warbler, Pine Warbler, Eastern Kingbird, Rufous-backed Robin, Crissal Thrasher

No way he can see me.  I've got the perfect camouflage!

She'll NEVER find me in here!

 

That hummer is a good hider.  Maybe he could give this Great Egret a few pointers.  Apparently I got a bit too close because he flew off to, um, hide in this tree.

It's kind of like trying to hide a lighthouse in the darkness...

lyceel:

That hummer is a good hider.  Maybe he could give this Great Egret a few pointers.  Apparently I got a bit too close because he flew off to, um, hide in this tree.

It's kind of like trying to hide a lighthouse in the darkness...

Yeah, he blends, doesn't he!  My favorite is when animals (incl birds) think if their head is buried or hidden then you can't see them!

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Life List: 139
Latest: Cedar Waxwing!!!!!!!

The American Bittern, master of stealth, demonstrates his hiding technique...

("Yeah, you're just lucky that stupid little warbler gave me away!")

Lyceel, I have yet to see a bittern and I live within the range of Americans.  Do they look obviously different from Green Herons?

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Latest Birds: Black-throated Green Warbler, Pine Warbler, Eastern Kingbird, Rufous-backed Robin, Crissal Thrasher

I did do a double-take when I saw this one to make sure it wasn't a Green Heron, but the first thing I noticed was that it wasn't behaving at all like a Green.  I think that's the most obvious difference.  They're both secretive birds, but greens are skittish and quick to move when you spot them.  Bitterns seem more likely to slowly slink away and hide somewhere else.  To be honest, though, this was my first Bittern, so I'm certainly no expert.

As far as plumage, they're missing the dark cap that Greens have, and they're generally lighter overall.  I think you'll be able to tell the difference fairly easily when you spot one.

My thing about American Bitterns is that they're fairly large birds, more so than you would think. I would say they're generally twice again as large as a Green Heron, most notably in bulk. Granted, my only viewing has been a flushing/fly-by, but it was immediately obvious what bird I had.

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Total birds seen: 205
Latest lifers:
Brown Creeper, Field Sparrow, White-crowned Sparrow
Favorite lifers:
Black-billed Cuckoo, Reddish Egret, Wood Stork

Interesting.  I had no way to judge relative size with this perspective, so that's good to know.

lyceel:

Interesting.  I had no way to judge relative size with this perspective, so that's good to know.

Ktyptos is right... American Bittern is much larger than a Green Heron. My Sibley's showa a GH at 18" and weight of 7 oz., and an AB at 28" and 1.5 lbs. I've seen lots of both and the size difference is noticible, even though I've never seen the two together.

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We did not inherit Mother Earth from our ancestors...... we have borrowed Her from our descendants.
Chief Seattle (paraphrased)

Matt:

Lyceel, I have yet to see a bittern and I live within the range of Americans.  Do they look obviously different from Green Herons?

Same here!! I haven't yet found a Bittern, and the places I go to are the perfect habitat.  Do they prefer salt or fresh water habitats?

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Life List: 139
Latest: Cedar Waxwing!!!!!!!

not birds....but...

 

 

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"We can judge the heart of a man by his treatment of animals."
Immanuel Kant

We saw this bittern as it wallked out from it's thick cover.  Even when you have a clear picture it still seems a little blured. I zoomed in on the picture to see if it was me or the bird - this time it was the bird.