Schiess: American Bittern – Camo master

A clicking sound in the tall marsh at Market Lake soon turned into the sound of a loud water pump trying to suck low water from a pond. It was a very strange sound I had never heard before and it was close – just across the canal. After four times it stopped; then I saw a movement in the tall grass and recognized an American bittern slowly raising its head with its bill held high.

Finally it lowered its “stuck-up” posture and the sound of the gurgling water pump started up again. It was the sound of male bittern’s mating call, announcing his availability, not unlike a dating website.

A small, heron-like bird, only seen occasionally in southeastern Idaho in past years, the bittern appears to be increasing in marshy areas like Market Lake, Mud Lake and Camas National Wildlife Refuge. This summer at least one female raised three chicks at Market Lake.

Being true snowbirds, bitterns migrate to Canada and the northern states in May from the southern coastal areas in the USA and Mexico. Once here the males start announcing their availability with strange sounds that can be heard for half a mile. These calls give the males the name of “bog bull” or “thunder pumper.”

The males are not monogamists. They like two or three women around them through the breeding and nesting season. They are not interested in domestic chores like building nests or sitting on the eggs; they are only interested in propagation and the guarding of the nests while the female sits on the eggs. Once two to five chicks are hatched he is gone, preferring the quiet, single life of hermit-hood for the rest of the year.

The female will feed the young partially digested puree for a few weeks, but after the young have learned to harvest minnows, frogs, small snakes, and bugs, they are abandoned and left on their own.

Market Lake is a perfect place for bitterns to spend the summer with all the shallow ponds, thick reeds, cattails and marsh grass where they can stay hidden. They have cryptic coloration with striping that blends in very well with the mature vegetation as the summer progresses. Trails through the marshes of Market Lake are closed until July 15, which protects nesting birds that use the management area.

When these handsome birds feel they have been seen, they remain motionless with their bill raised high, pointing to the sky. No, this is not because they are stuck up – it is to allow their coloring and shape to blend in with the surrounding vegetation. Last week while driving through the marsh, I saw a bittern fly into a clump of bulrush. It struck its classic pose and was only noticeable because I knew where it had landed.

They are very territorial and keep other birds and animals away from their area. When threatened, they stalk intruders in a crouching position with head and neck retracted against their breast. Anything within 18 inches of the bird may be speared with its eight-inch dagger-like bill as the recoiled neck acts as a loaded spring.

If you ever see them, their movements can be very comical along area marshlands, and once you learn their call, you will know where they are. So be patient, listen closely and you may get to spend some time with these beautiful, camo-colored birds.