Last week I wrote about some of the latest in Costa Rica birding news. As it happens, shortly after mentioning avocets, warblers and a chance at Rufous-vented Ground-Cuckoos, another prime birdworthy sighting cam to light.
As it turns out, on October 22, local birder and photographer Christian Bonilla found a mega of mega birds for Costa Rica. The American Bittern is not a colorful bird, nor is it an endangered or a hard-to-find species in its typically cold marsh range. But it is definitely a key bird for Costa Rica!
You see, we don’t just see American Bitterns in Costa Rica. We see other hardy herons, especially Bare-throated Tiger-Herons like the bird pictured above. But not American Bitterns.
Like the White-faced Whistling-Duck and Short-eared Owl, the American Bittern is on the official bird list in Costa Rica but it is more of a historical species. This is a bird from a time when the Central Valley was a mosaic of wetlands, moist woodlands, and farmlands.
That was about 100 years ago. Since then, the wetlands have been mostly drained and any birds that wintered in such areas have also left for other, more suitable areas. Because of the destruction of the wetlands in the Central Valley, I thought that the bittern was one of the species that was very unlikely to appear in these lands.
I mean, most of its former wintering sites in Costa Rica have been destroyed long ago, and the species can happily winter at other sites closer to its breeding grounds. Why would any of these great herons bother flying all the way to Costa Rica?
At least that’s what I thought. That’s why I just wrote “I hope to have a chance with one in the swamp habitat.” in the “How to see this bird” section of its description in the Costa Rica Birds Field Guide app. I think that advice still holds true for seeing an American Bittern in Costa Ricas but I would also add, “Look for this rare species that winters in seasonal freshwater marshes, especially in the mountains.”
Not that birders visit Costa Rica to see American Bitterns but hey, you never know.
However, in 2023, one flew this far. In fact, since there have been several other probable sightings in the past 20 years, other adventurous American Bitterns must have made the trip as well. Those birds are not documented like this one.
This encounter made me wonder if a bittern or two always wintered in Costa Rica. I mean, they’re not very obvious, many wetland sites in Costa Rica are not very accessible, and we don’t have birders combing every corner of the country.
Although it was found in late October, local birders kept an eye on the downlow because they were concerned that photographers might drive away the bittern. Fortunately, last week, they changed their minds, the location of the American Bittern was released and the twitch is on!
On Sunday morning, hoping to avoid any crowds and have a better chance of seeing the bird, we visited the site bright and early. The place is a small, seasonal swamp just outside of Paraiso de Cartago, right next to a dirt road that sees runners, cyclists, and many other passers-by.
As we discovered, it’s also a great place to live. The small marsh is surrounded by slippery habitat that bounces with Morelet’s Seedeaters, Gray-crowned Yellowthroats, and beautiful little black-backed Lesser Goldfinches.
Scanning back, I saw a black thrush the size of a white shoulder fly into my field of view. Tanager with a white line! To the left, a suspicious clump of dirt transforms into a crouching Green Heron. White-throated Crakes sizzled from the grass, saltators, and other Northern Jacanas also chattered.
I tell you, it was one heck of a beautiful morning in the fresh air of Cartago.
There are also nearby woods that we didn’t explore. They could have held some rare warbler, I wouldn’t be surprised if they had but we still have to find a bird. There was that bittern somewhere out there, somehow hiding.
With such a small area, so many birders looking here, and seeing no one, I couldn’t help but wonder if we were a day too late. Will it be like the failed pochard twitch? Did the bird leave? It certainly can have. I mean, it’s a migrant that doesn’t have to stick around, a bird that can up and leave whenever it wants.
And therein lies the multi-pronged challenge of kibot. Not only do you have to look for the bird, you also have to accept that you might not see it. You need to suppress the roots of anxiety, go Zen and accept that your Ross’s Gull may have been eaten by a Great Horned Owl (happened to me once). You don’t have to eliminate anxiety but since a stress-free lifestyle is a healthier lifestyle, taking that Zen route is definitely best.
Going Zen birding can also help you spot birds. Forget that no one can see it. Instead, think about why no one sees bittern. Let’s see, it hides well, even in residential pieces, and does not need to move. Think about that as I check the reeds again, looking carefully and hoping to see a little bird, some brown bits that don’t fit.
I scanned and still no dice, even after double and triple scanning. Hmm, maybe from a different angle. For some reason, I climbed up an embankment and scanned from a different angle. And there was the bird, obviously!
Even as obvious as a bitter head partially covered with reeds. But seriously, there it was, very visible back in that little swamp, just at an angle. Move a few steps to the right and there are only reeds and singing seedeaters. Check from the left and without any bittern, completely forget about it.
However, fortunately, our American Bittern did not give up on Paraiso de Cartago. We can see it all from that one place! It is not a tree, in the stage view of a bird begging for attention but we can focus on it. There were its pale eyes, shades of coffee brown in its fur, craning its neck up to look back at us. Photographers prefer different views but seeing it through the reeds seems more realistic, more in line with the classic bittern experience.
It reminded me of the bitterns I’ve seen masquerading as cattails in upstate New York, of the chunky northern heron that shared calling space with Virginia Rails, Soras, and witchety yellowthroats. This one shares space with another type of yellowthroat, watches frogs elsewhere but it’s there. An American Bittern in Costa Rica. Heerman’s Gull, American Bittern, Lesser Kiskadee, what’s next on the twitching list?
Fortunately, many local birders have been seeing bittern lately. It’s a good thing too because his little swamp keeps testing, who knows how long it will last? This may be the only American Bittern they see, hopefully it finds favor with us and stays long enough for everyone to get that bittersweet experience.
