The Solitary American Bittern

This was not my first encounter with the American Bittern. My first up close view of this bird was several years ago. This "dude" is memorable in my birding world.  I was looking forward to another opportunity to see and photograph him on our annual new year birding trip. A prayer never hurts, I do this when I am yearning to see a bird I know should be in the area we are in.  I have been highly favored many times and I am thankful for the blessing.  I must say that we saw about 50 or so birds this New Year's Eve Day.  We were in one of our Texas State Parks that we love.  I found it very interesting that small birds like the Blue-gray Gnatcatcher, Yellow-rump Warbler, Ruby-crowned Kinglets, Common Yellowthroat Warbler, and others were flying by or landing close to us as we walked along the marshy lakes.  My husband, JG, alerted me when he saw the Bittern coming toward us.  The rather large bird caught my eye with its stalking movement.  Bitterns winter along the coast where the waters will not freeze. They primarily eat insects, fish, crustaceans, reptiles and small mammals. They forage for food by wading in shallow water. These birds will typically be solitary and hunt in low light  catching food with their bill and killing prey with biting or shaking movements.  I thought it so interesting how his whole body seem to have a wave motion as he moved.  Needless to say, another awesome "birding" day! Blessings!