As I strolled the boardwalk last week, one of my favorite birds, the elusive Least Bittern, suddenly appeared!
What a treat to watch her in full view, slowly making her way through the marsh.
But she was soon out of view . . .
This video clip above is a more typical Least Bittern sighting – catching a glimpse in the shadows, just before she slips out of sight.
Birder's Journey 
They really are elusive!
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I always love the chance to see one! Do you have bitterns near you, Kathy?
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They are not as prevalent as they are in Florida, but can be found occasionally – though not for long!
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A Least Bittern, sly aesthete of reeds, 🎩🪶 Performed her furtive marshland deeds. 🌾🌫️ With locomotion so discreet, She rendered birdwatchers obsolete. 🤓📚
I wandered there with caffeinated grace ☕🧐 And sunscreen smeared across my face. 🧴😵 When lo! — emergent from the sedge, A feathered phantom near the edge! 👻🐦
Her oculars held ancient lore 👁️✨ Like tiny professors from yore. 🎓📜 She glided forth with stealth sublime, Then vanished faster than my Wi-Fi prime. 📡💀
“Oho!” I cried with scholarly zeal, 📢🧠 “A Botaurus exilis reveal!” (Which made nearby civilians stare 😐👒 As if I’d summoned Voltaire.) 📚⚡
The boardwalk shook with great suspense; My binoculars achieved transcendence. 🔭🌌 Yet every frame I tried to shoot 📸😩 Contained one cattail… and one boot. 👢🌾
The video proved the classic trope: 🎞️😂 A half-seen bird! A glimpse! A hope! One pixel here, one shadow there, Then poof — she dissipates to air. 💨🪄
Such is the Least Bittern’s vocation: To humble human observation. 🧍♂️📉 For every birder, proud and keen, 🦉🏅 Must suffer birds that won’t be seen. 🙈🐤
Yet still we trudge through bog and fen 🥾🌧️ Like overly committed marshland men. Debating plumage, calls, and bills 🗣️📖 While mosquitos feast with savage thrills. 🦟🍽️
So raise a toast to this tiny mystic! 🥂🪶 Elusive, elegant, opportunistic. May she continue, smug and witty, 😌🌾 To ghost us all through swampy city. 🌆🦆
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What a great sighting! They are elusive I haven’t seen one in a long time.
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What a rewarding sight to see and be able to click! 👏
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