Jo's Morning Walk: Searching for the Least Bitterns

It's been about three years since I have seen a Least Bittern so you can imagine my excitement when I read Steve Brad's Yahoo post that several of these elusive birds had been spotted at the end of the San Luis Rey River mouth in Oceanside yesterday.

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Rushing through my breakfast, I grabbed my camera, jumped in my van and headed for Oceanside Harbor. Wondering if I would be lucky enough to spot a Least Bittern today. I decided to start my search from the west side of the bridge. Fortunately, there were several birders scanning the area and they informed me that they had already spotted one and pointed out the exact location. I quickly ran to the east side of the bridge just in time to find the Least Bittern climbing out of the reeds to get a few shots of this elusive bird before he took flight. Thank you Gretchen and friends for your help in getting the below shots!

He spots the camera pointed towards him. What a great birding morning this has turned into. Every time I am near reeds I am obsessed with trying to find and photograph these wonderful secretive birds. They can live their whole lives in the reeds and because they blend in so well with the surroundings they are very difficult to spot. But this area of the river provides a perfect spotting site for these wonderful little birds.

He is checking the skies above for any sign of predators.

Least Bittern, Ixobrychus exilis measures 13 inches long with a wingspan of 17 inches. Our smallest heron. When they are alarmed, they freeze with their bills pointed up with only their eyes moving and tracking the threat. With their necks extended, they will even sway like

the reeds that they are perched on and are able to camouflage themselves nicely.

A classic "Bittern" defense stance. This one appears to be a sub-adult Least Bittern.

The Least Bittern decides to fly to the center of the riverbed where the reeds are tall and thick.

One more flight shot of the youngster.

An adult flies out of the tall reeds and is chased and harassed by a faded molting male Red-shouldered Blackbird. Appeared to be a little bit of a territorial dispute. Eventually the adult bittern came back towards a big clump of reeds closer to the north side of the river bank.

The bitterns were active for quite a while but much too far for my 400mm lens. This is a very far away shot but I wanted to show you an adult male's dark plumage. The adult female's body plumage appears more like a juvenile but with a very dark cap like the male.

There must have been at least four Least Bitterns flying around in the area. A shot of one flying away. They feed mainly on small fish and insects, even large dragonflies. They also eat small frogs, tadpoles, leeches, crayfish, small snakes and other items. Because they have the ability to perch on the reeds and hunt the waters below, they are able to hunt for prey in deeper waters while other herons can only wade in the water as deep as their legs will allow for them to hunt for prey. The bitterns may even bend down reeds close to the water to make a hunting platform to aid them in hunting fish.

The adult flies further east, disappointing the birders and photographers waiting for a closer look.

Not getting any chances for a closer shot, I was ready to go home, but my attention was drawn back towards the reeds nearby where I spotted two Common Gallinule adults in breeding plumage. Gallinula galeata measures 14 inches long with a wingspan of 21 inches

Another territorial dispute erupts.

Lots of wing flapping but the birds remained earthbound choosing to run on water instead of taking flight.

Another Gallinule walking through the reeds. They feed on leaves, stems, seeds of various water plants and sledge. Fruits and berries, insects, spiders, tadpoles, earthworms, snails and other mollusks.

This photo shows the huge Clapper Rail-like feet which are not lobed like the similar-looking American Coots. They walk very much like a Clapper Rail but swim like a Coot bobbing their heads up and down. The females lay 8 to 11 eggs and both parents incubate. The young will hatch in 19 to 22 days. The newborn Gallinules have spurs on their wings to aid them in climbing into their nest and gripping on to vegetation. The newborns are fed by both parents and sometimes by older siblings. They can swim well soon after hatching. Learning to feed themselves by 3 weeks but still may get food from parents up until 6 weeks.They are able to fly in 40 to 50 days.