Pic of the Day

     American Bittern – Viera Wetlands; Viera, Florida:  I have seen less than a dozen American Bitterns in the wild, with most seen in the early morning hours before sunrise.  On my last trip to the Viera Wetlands I had the opportunity to see an American Bittern during mid morning.

     I actually walked upon the bittern, flushing it from its hiding place.  Watching where the bittern had landed I stalked it to its new locations and was rewarded with a number of shots.  After watching the bird stalk prey for about ten minutes, a car pulled beside me and the driver asked what I was photographing.  At that time the bittern took flight and ended the longest amount of time I had spent with an actively feeding bittern. 

     This first shot was taken as the bittern came out of the reeds where it had flown from my previous flush.  The second was taken after the passengers in the vehicle stopped to asked, “what are you taking a picture of?”

Top Image:  Nikon D7000, Nikkor 500mm f4, 1/640 second @ f7.1

Bottom Image: Nikon D7000, Nikkor 500mm f4, 1/1,000 second @ f76.3