VIDEOD: Bittern family history
Videos recorded by Urmas Lett, www.eenet.ee
Translation Liis
Bittern Hüüp Botaurus stellaris
These are rare images from the life of this secretive bird. In our reed banks perhaps a little over 300 bittern pairs nest but the question ”who has seen a bittern” is usually followed by silence. Their calls have been heard, reminding of a “blast in a bottle. “
The bittern sounds were recorded by Veljo Runnel: LINK
On May 17th two chicks were hatched. The female is a ”single parent”. When the male who is much smaller than the female occupies a large territory he can also have several ”brides”. In the video we see the movements of the extremely secretive female bird.
In the next video we see fishing near the nest and feeding of the chicks. The bittern chicks know that food comes from the mother’s beak, just as our small children believe that money comes “by itself”.
The adult leaves the nest already in daytime to hunt for small fish. Nest life lasts 2-3 weeks from the hatching, then the young birds already follow the female …
Hopefully the Internet connections will work so that we will have learnt to know one more acquaintance.
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