little bittern

Blongios nain - Ixobrychus minutus - Little Bittern

I was extremely surprised to see this little bittern watching the marbled teals at El Clot from the reeds- I thought these fly off to Africa or something at the end of the year. Given this region sometimes holds ospreys in the winter though, I think I shouldn't be as surprised. First time I ever...

Little Bittern https://johnfoss.yolasite.com/little-bittern.php

Little Bittern بوتیمار کوچک

Took me a while where to find these as I kept hearing them or seeing them in flight, with a little bit of knowledge from another birdwatcher I managed to capture this image with a bit of patience.

Little Bittern at Quinta do Lago Portugal.

Little Bittern VIDEO: http://johnfoss.yolasite.com/little-bittern.php

and finally a clear shot. Not that my camera got this one any sharper, but Delia says I should blame that on the boat moving ... which it was, otherwise I wouldn't have gotten this clear shot. In fact, not only had the boat swung in an arc so I saw the bird free of the reeds, but it also swung...

Now with only two slim blades of reed in front of him.

still behind some thick blades of reeds. But the boat was slowly drifting and turning, and the Little Bittern stood where he was, so we got slightly different views every few seconds.

and now with just one pesky reed blade in front of him

I know he was making it easier for me to spot him, but once I had him spotted it was a bit disappointing that he never showed his classic vertical hiding pose.

Although I must say I'm not sure how Pepe saw a yellowish bill in the previous shot. Zooming in, it looks to me as if the Little Bittern was looking straight at the camera in that one, so bill almost invisibly disguised as just another bit of one of his pale stripes. I'm amazed at how...

Little Bittern, ad fem. Brenne ( Berry). Yesterday.

Little Bittern, ad fem feeding her 2 youngs. Brenne ( Berry). Late July 2015. Distant view.

Little Bittern, ad male. Brenne ( Berry). July 2015. Catch up with you later. Thank you very much for all your great comments on my last post ! Much appreciated.