Jo

Try looking at juvenile Green or Green-backed Heron. Same bird just renamed.

Roger Craik
Maple Ridge BC
rcraik at home.com

----- Original Message -----
From: <Joaw9 at aol.com>
To: <tweeters at u.washington.edu>
Sent: Tuesday, 31 August, 1999 7:22 PM
Subject: I need help identifying a bird.


> Greets tweets --
> I am new to the group. I am relatively new to birding. I was at the new
> Narbeck Wetland Park this morning and as I was walking the loop a bird
flew
> up and landed (in plain view) on the trail rail, less than fifty feet away
> from where I stood.
> My immediately reaction was ohmigod, it is a bittern. The front looked
like
> a bittern. The legs looked like a bittern. The size looked right for a
> bittern (American). My problem is that it had dark (greenish-black?) cap
on
> it's head that the bird engaged (that is to say it became a 'crest'). And
so
> I said, "could that be a little green heron?"
>
> I am now thoroughly confused. Do American bitterns ever have a green
crest?
> I looked in different field guides and did not see a bittern/little green
> heron in the position this bird was in. I saw that least bitterns have a
> dark cap but I cannot credit that the bird I saw could have been a least
> bittern. And American bittern (at least in my field guides) don't show a
> black crest/cap.
>
> This is really driving me crazy. Can anyone enlighten this ignorant soul?
> Many thanks for any help y'all can direct my way.
> Jo Waldron