In the area there are two species of

The American Bittern, photo taken by Gayle Trivers

Bitterns, the Least and the American, the American being the more common. Bitterns are medium- to large-sized birds that are often seen wading in the water. They are very humorous-looking, with poofy feathers on large bodies, standing on thin, pencil-like legs. When in flight they bend their neck into an S-like shape and trail their feet, like the Blue Heron. There are a few differences between these two species of bitterns, the main ones being that the Least Bittern has much darker feathers than the American, and the Least is also much smaller. The Least Bittern's call is a low, muted, "coo-coo-coo", as opposed to the American variety's deep, "oong-ka' choonk" note. They can be spotted in marshes, and marshy ponds or lakes.