American Bittern

It is a really special occasion when a normally reclusive bird makes itself available for photo ops.  This Bittern outdid him/herself in that regard.  It was followed for nearly an hour by at least five photogs without concern for its own welfare.

 I was within 15 feet of a bird that normally cannot be seen, much less approached.  In an attempt to get the whole bird in a frame I a) removed my teleconverter from the optics and b) kept moving back, away from the bird.  It remained difficult to frame the entire bird with my 200-400mm lens, no matter how far back I moved.

Some days are gifts.  Thank you, Mr./Mrs. Bittern.