bird photography : american bittern

John thought he'd spotted the tail-end of an otter or some other small aquatic mammal disappearing into the reeds when Beth exclaimed, 'Check out the bittern!' This reclusive heron had tricked John's normally-eagle eye but was quite an amazing sight.

Equipment: Canon EOS 30D Canon EF 300mm f4L IS with 1.4x Teleconverter Settings: f8; 1/250 sec.; focal length at 420 mm; ISO 200 Date: May 5, 2006 6:50 pm Location: Carver Park Reserve / Victoria, MN Photography Notes: Though not the best image in terms of composition or contrast, the rarity of seeing and photographing the elusive American Bittern make it a nice addition to John's life list as a 'record' shot.