Yellow Bittern ready for the ambush (Ixobrychus sinensis)

There is a certain charm to photographing birds from a row boat. Besides the fun of the boat ride, the fact that birds allow you a closer approach, makes it a very pleasurable experience.

I had clicked this picture last December on one such boat ride on Lake Chilika. That morning, I saw this yellow bittern all set on its perch and ready to make its move as soon as an unsuspecting prey swam up. I really wanted to wait to witness the kill but Manglajodi is so full of birds that we soon got distracted and moved on leaving the bittern to its devices.

Yellow bitterns are small bitterns and are primarily resident breeders in the Indian sub-continent, Japan and Indonesia. Though vagrants have been found even in Alaska ! Given their love for reed beds, they are usually difficult to photograph unless one is on a boat and ofcourse lady luck’s grace.