Cattail Master

I encountered this male Least Bittern as I paddled around a bend in a waterway at my local Ontario marsh. He immediately froze, giving me the opportunity to make this image. Least Bittern’s immediate response when sensing danger is often to freeze, then fly away after a few moments or slink away through the reeds. Males are identified by black on their head and back. The cherry red colour on his “loral area” (the bare skin between his bill and eye) is normally yellowish, but flushes red in spring during courtship, copulation or territorial conflict. He was with a female who was mostly hidden in the cattails behind him. Soon after making this image they flew off. Least Bitterns are masters of using cattails and other emergent vegetation to fish in deep water. By grasping the reeds/cattails with their long toes as this male is doing, they can hunt in deeper water than their heavier cousins, the American Bittern. Being a little larger than an American Robin, they are the smallest of the North American herons, light enough to be easily held above water by cattails. Coming upon a Least Bittern in the Marsh is a memorable experience. Globally their population is considered stable with about 43,000 pairs in North America. As of 2014 the Ontario population was thought to be around 500 pairs giving them a status of “Threatened” on the Provincial Endangered Species list. It seems they have been breeding at the marsh for at least the past 3 years. This spring my friend and I had several encounters with them. It’s exciting to see them establish a growing local presence!