Bitterns are difficult birds to find and photograph – especially out in the open. I’ve photographed an American Bittern at Magee Marsh a couple of years ago, but never had a good opportunity with Least Bitterns. For the most part, I would catch glimpses of them flying or parts of them through the reeds. A nice run-in with this bird at Viera Wetlands changed this. We came to a spot that had three Least Bitterns hunting out in the open. I wanted to put together a post to share these beautiful birds that we do not see often enough.
I never though I would get two Least Bitterns in the same frame – along with another secretive bird. See the Sora behind them?
It was so great to watch them stalk the fish…
..and guzzle a few down.
But most of all, I enjoyed seeing how they clung to the vertical perches and moved from reed-to-reed with no trouble.
And just in case you wanted a couple of more photos…
If you are going to the Biggest Week, then I cannot stress enough how important it is to follow @BiggestWeek on Twitter and, if you can, get the tweets sent to your phone while you are at the festival. The tweets had me and my friend, Renee, chasing birds all over the place – with a high percentage of success. There are a number of good birders who have access to post tweets, so the area is pretty much covered.
Note: this post has embedded tweets, please be patient with the loading time.
Thanks to the tweets, our first afternoon at Magee started off with great views of a bird we only barely saw last year.
Gray-cheeked Thrush at the beginning of >Estuary Trail
Not sure where Estuary Trail is? Do not be shy to ask someone. Birding guides are all over the boardwalk; your fellow birders are also friendly and will be happy to help!
After a long day of birding outside of Magee, we came back to another good find. Once we got to the location, the crowd of people directed us where we needed to look.
American Bittern close to the road out in the open along the Magee Causeway (north end)! – Ethan Kistler
I would have never thought I would see a Bittern out in the open like this! He was busy fishing while many birders got great looks.
One of my favorite tweet stories happened on our third day. Renee and I just began the Ottawa wildlife drive and this tweet came in. She saw the tweet first didn’t know what to say about it. I picked up the phone and knew why.
We drove through the rest of the wildlife drive without looking for more birds and made our way to Magee. As we were walking to #13 on the boardwalk, birders assured us that the Owl was still there – and it was.
Long-eared Owl at Magee Marsh!
We did have some unsuccessful attempts at chasing tweets – you can’t get them all!
Black-billed Cuckoo just flew between # 1 and 3 – adrian
I can’t tell you how many times Renee and I chased the Black-billed Cuckoo in hopes of both of us getting a life bird. Unfortunately, this is one that we did not see. They did not show themselves for long, but the chase was fun. In the process, we did get to see one of the American Woodcocks off the boardwalk.
American Woodcock found while looking for Cuckoos
Another tweet came through that had us abandon the Cuckoo search that morning…
Golden-winged warbler showing nicely at north edge of small loop on MM boardwalk (7ish). -Greg Miller
This one was a success! Thank you, Greg – you helped us both get a great life bird!
Golden-winged Warbler at the loop
The loop turned out to be pretty popular for good Warblers. At one point, there were so many birds that people were using Warblers to direct birders to another Warbler.
Prothonotary and Canada at 7A on small loop – adrian
I hope this post convinced you – getting live tweets sent to your phone can really help you stay connected! You will also stay up to date on the latest event happenings.
Book signing: Stokes, Kaufman, Birdchick, Ken Keffer – 1 PM – AT BLACK SWAMP BIRD OBSERVATORY
That happened after the festival was over, but three Kirtland Warblers showed up and were tweeted about on the previous year during the festival, so you never know!
I will once again be a part of the blogging team for The Biggest Week in American Birding. I had so much fun writing about my experiences last year and hope to gear everyone up for this year’s festival.
So what is all the hype about??
Thousands of birders flock to northwest Ohio to witness the best warbler migration in the United States. This ten day “week” starts on May 6th and features birding events at the Black Swamp Bird Observatory in Magee Marsh, Ottawa National Wildlife Refuge and surrounding areas. It is headquartered at Maumee Bay Lodge & Conference Center, which has a great bird habitat in itself.
Cape May Warblers are a given!
Last year, I saw twelve life birds, met many new friends and got the best looks at great birds than I ever have before. If someone sees a good bird, you will know about it and they are happy to point it out. There is also an official twitter account that you can follow and get tweets sent right to your phone so you don’t miss a good sighting.
This Eastern Whip-poor-will gave many people great looks
The American Bittern who was seen by many
Surprises are always a possibility – like this Long-eared Owl that flew into the Marsh! My friend and I found out about this bird from a tweet while we were at Ottawa NWR, we promptly drove to Magee and made our way to its location on the boardwalk.
A surprise Long-eared Owl at Magee
I am looking forward to birding from sunrise until sunset, then ending the days relaxing with friends. I will be there from May 11th through the 15th.
I still have my mind on the Biggest Week in American Birding. It was an unforgettable experience that will be tough to top. I saw 150 species of birds and had twelve – yes TWELVE – life birds. Last week, I wrote a post about some highlights from my trip. This week, I will continue by sharing some photos to show you what can be expected if you decide to attend next year – yes – I am already thinking about next year…
This Clay-colored Sparrow was a life bird!
Birds, birds and more birds
Beautiful birds are everywhere you look!
Cape May Warbler from the boardwalk tower
Baltimore Oriole near the boardwalk parking lot
Blue Gray Gnatcatcher taken from the boardwalk tower
You will see more than just birds
Aside from birds, you can see some cute mammals, rare snakes and many turtles.
This Raccoon was playing peek-a-boo with me
Do not let the crowds scare you away
Crowds will form where there are good birds – the good thing about these crowds is that someone in it will see a good bird so no bird goes unseen. When they spot a bird they will let you know what they are looking at and help you find it. I took some photos with my phone of the crowds, both what I saw…
What’s that? A Golden-winged Warbler?
And some viewpoints from the birds…
A bird’s view from the ground
A bird’s eye view of the boardwalk
There are other great spot to visit
If the crowds are too much for you, there are quiet spots both on and off the boardwalk to visit. You do not have to even stay at Magee Marsh – you can also go to the trails at Maumee Bay State Park, take the auto tour at Ottawa National Wildlife Refuge, go for a day trip to Oak Openings, watch birds from the Windows On Wildlife at Pearson Metropark, look for waterbirds at Metzger… there are so many great hotspots!
Red-bellied Woodpecker at taken from the “Windows on Wildlife”
Beautiful view from Oak Openings, taken with my phone
Hard-to-see birds will be in someone’s sights
How many times can you say that you’ve seen a Whip-poor-will perched in a tree??
Other birders directed us to this Whip-poor-will
You can test top-of-the-line scopes and binoculars at Optics Alley
I think this photo speaks for itself…
The scope line-up at Optics Alley
Bird by day, hang out by night!
Birds & Blooms hosted a karaoke night. I did not sing, but those who did gave a great show!
Kim Kaufman killed it on the karaoke floor
There are other great events during the day
While we were making our way out of Magee Marsh, we stopped at the visitor center and were surprised by some live birds of prey from Back to the Wild. These birds were injured and cannot be returned to the wild, so they are now used for educational purposes. It was nice to get some photos of more cooperative birds. And further down the road at the Black Swamp Bird Observatory, they were banding wild songbirds – they had a Northern Waterthrush when we were there.
This young Peregrine Falcon was flapping around
This Bald Eagle was hit by a train and is now blind in one eye with an injured wing
My favorite little raptor, the American Kestrel
I hope to see a Barn Owl in the wild some time soon
This Barred Owl was keeping an eye on us
The Great Horned Owl was not as angry as he looks
You will make new friends
It was great birding with friends who we met last year – even after seeing them a year ago at 2012’s Biggest Week, we connected like we see each other all the time. We also met many new friends along the way. Everyone, from the bloggers to the guides to visitors on the boardwalk were pleasant to be around and we could not ask to be around a better group of people!
Kim Kaufman’s sand art
Did I mention that there are lots of great birds to be seen?
Magnolia Warbler
American Bittern out in the open on the Magee causeway
