I went out at 4:00 to get clothes off the line - and right under my clothes 
line was an American Bittern, head stretched oddly, working to swallow what 
looked like a large and struggling frog. I stopped dead and then slowly crept 
closer. The bittern finally swallowed its prey, and I could see its throat and 
chest working to get it down. The bird didn't even notice me until I was 
probably 25' away. Then it froze, head up - not very effective on mowed grass! 

There's a beaver pond about 1/4 mile away where I've seen a bittern twice. I 
imagine this bird was flying to or from the pond when it noticed the frog 
hopping around. I can't believe it hangs out often on my lawn!

Also - on and off for three weeks now, Barred Owls have been very vocal in 
the wee hours. One night I listened to two or possibly three carrying on an 
excited and intricate conversation from 3AM until close to 4 (when I fell back 
asleep). On four other occasions, I've heard one owl just about at dawn.

Maeve Kim
Jericho Center 


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