Least bitterns cause a stir at Rosedale Park in Pennington

Every once in a while, Mercer County hosts a celebrity bird or two. This week, the least bitterns that have shown up at Rosedale Park in Pennington are doing their star turn, luring birders in bunches.

When birding buddy Jim and I showed up this morning, we spotted a group of birders with long camera lenses and spotting scopes at a corner of the lake in the center of the park. No doubt about it, they were on the hunt for the least bitterns, small members of the heron family.

Jim and I joined the gang and soon heard the poo-poo-poo call of a bittern that someone eventually spotted, a white dot in the tall vegetation across the lake. The views through our binoculars and viewfinders were sufficient to make the ID but not to guarantee a fair shot.

Jim and I walked down the edge of the lake, past the fishing platform, then veered uphill onto the gravel path that bikers, joggers and strollers use to transit the park. We heard another bittern calling from across the water but couldn’t spot it.

We headed back to the water’s edge and soon heard another bittern calling, seemingly only a few feet away from inside tall grasses. I momentarily spotted the bittern as it crossed a small opening in the vegetation. A minute or two later, Jim watched it fly to the other side of the boat launch and land in the shoreline grasses.

We caught a few glimpses of the mostly obscured bird, then decided to try our luck back up the slope. Eventually, we spotted the bird again. We were able to take photos, but the bird was still partially obscured.

We backed up on the trail and finally found a clear view. The bird was cooperative, staying perched for what probably was 10 minutes before a group of agitated red-winged blackbirds moved in and chased Mr. Bittern away.

Jim had pointed out the first least bittern I’d ever seen at Abbott Marshlands in Trenton four years ago, but the bird was across the marsh and I don’t recall even trying to get a photo of it.

On seeing repeated e-Bird reports of bittern sightings, I went to Rosedale Park on Friday morning and saw two of them fly across the lake. But I was skunked on photos.

I was extra pleased today to be able to capture clear shots of one of these rare visitors. I hope they stick around so other birders get a chance to see them. 🦅