Least Bittern (click to see the larger version)

One of the better birds I had on my May 21 Big Day was a Least Bittern. Least Bitterns are rare but regular, mostly spring migrants at Montrose. This bird, a female as evidenced by the brown back, had been hanging around the dunes for a couple days. When I photographed her she was in the pool of water next to the fishhook pier, at times right out in the open, behavior uncharacteristic of this species.