Since the bittern is a winter visitor to Florida, we rarely hear
its weird vocalizations, mostly made during the spring and
summer.

They occur throughout Florida November through April, mostly in
freshwater juncus marshes, before returning to the northern U.S.
and southern Canada to breed. Their numbers have been declining
over the past three decades at an average rate of 2.4 percent per
year, mostly due to loss of wetlands.

To see an American bittern, then, is luck indeed.

FWC Facts:According to The Economist, ecotourism is the fastest growing segment of world tourism.