Kathy Buckard
February 2025 - Excited American Bittern
About the Image(s)
First visit to Orlando Wetlands. What a wonderful place to shoot wildlife. Quite a variety of birds. This guy was right at the beginning of the boardwalk and so camouflaged I almost missed him. Fortunately, there were some very nice people there sharing information.
Nikon D500, Lens - 70-300, Shutter Priority, ISO 1000. Speed 1/1600, F Stop F8
7 comments posted
Kathy, the American Bitter is a very skittish bird, and this one seems to be interested in something. The Orlando Wetlands is becoming a bird photographer must stop. The image is sharp, and the colors are very vivid. Posted: 02/08/2025 20:02:26
We watched this bittern for a short period of time. It was definitely stalking something. I was so glad when it stepped out more in the open and was able to get a shot. The two times prior, when we walked through I had on the 400 lens, this time the 300 so I wasn't sure if I could get a close enough image but all worked out. Posted: 02/11/2025 16:29:10
Kathy, nice and interesting image, as Isaac says, the bird looks curious. I can see how it camouflages. Good shot! I need to visit the Orlando Wetlands - I now live in Miami but have never been there. Posted: 02/09/2025 22:52:19
Great shot , great story, well exposed in its natural environment. Well captured Kathy Posted: 02/15/2025 16:48:07
Such a nice image of the Bittern. They are very skittish so I am impressed that you were able to capture it in open.
I have only heard an American bittern. Although, I have seen a Least Bittern (smaller than the American Bittern) in Arizona. I spent almost half hour for it to come out of the reeds in the marshes. When it finally came out it was just for a split of a second. Unfortunately, I was not able to focus my camera on it. Posted: 02/21/2025 17:34:09
I have only heard an American bittern. Although, I have seen a Least Bittern (smaller than the American Bittern) in Arizona. I spent almost half hour for it to come out of the reeds in the marshes. When it finally came out it was just for a split of a second. Unfortunately, I was not able to focus my camera on it. Posted: 02/21/2025 17:34:09
Kathy, this is a tough shot. A well camouflaged bird in its environment. I tried to see if I could separate the bird from the background - i.e. defeating perfect natural camo! After much sausage making in Adobe ACR, I got something different, but probably no better. That's a really tough shot. Posted: 02/22/2025 03:18:21
Nice one, Kathy! Your crop is close and nicely balanced. One minor suggestion that might help this lovely bird stand out a little more is to select "background" and play with lowering the highlights a bit, making this Bittern more prominent. Posted: 02/22/2025 05:32:02