My great appreciation goes to Jim Block for sharing his impressive and enjoyable series of photos of tail wagging, wing movements, and other behavior by a Least Bittern in West Lebanon on July 31st. Although he obtained all the pictures within 20 minutes, a much longer time was required for him to prepare them for viewing through UVB.

The suggestion that side to side tail wagging by foraging Least Bitterns might serve to attract prey seems to remain a viable hypothesis though one perhaps not easily tested.

George Clark
Norwich, VT



On Mon, 3 Aug 2020 05:28:39 -0400, Jim Block <[log in to unmask]> wrote:

It was an action-packed 20 minutes at the West Lebanon Wetlands Friday.  Three heron species were present when I arrived, and I watched a Least Bittern tail wagging, catching two large fish, and feeding young.

George Clark had first reported observing tail wagging, postulating it might be a strategy to lure fish.  I’ve include some discussion is the blog with the photos.

You can see the photos from Friday and read about this short, but intense visit here.

https://www.jimblockphoto.com/2020/08/least-bittern-big-day/

Jim Block
Etna, NH
 


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