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Last week, Sue and I had reached the edge of Toftrees pond when Sue saw a burst of brown leave the reeds. We guessed heron immediately, but the first views were discouraging: The bird flew directly opposite us.
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The bird didn't turn until reaching the forest area on the far side, a thousand feet away, and then flew behind the trees.
But a minute later (and to our surprise), the bird flew back toward us. Flying below tree top level, it was partially in and out of sight. At that point I managed to get a few fair images.
At home I identified it as an American bittern (Botaurus lentiginosus), which is a rare visitor to the pond in central Pennsylvania. (For some reason, we never carry a field guide with us.)
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As is often the case, one of the better images came when I was shooting through branches.
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The clearest views (but the worst for color values) came when the American bittern was between me and the sun.
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