Today Ingrid and I went searching for an American Bittern, a secretive bird of marshes and reeds. I had seen the bird flying at a distance last week but we really wanted an up close photo.

For 45 minutes we scanned the marsh with our binoculars … getting closer every time it vocalized (a cartoonish croaking).

Finally Ingrid spotted this 28 inch tall bird lurking just 20 feet away.

A real thrill to get up close and personal with this common but rarely seen bird.