My apologies for a late post; I was unable to do this before I had to
depart for business to the west coast, and I just returned.  Last Sunday
(Jan 30) during the very snowy Mid-winter Count for PG Co, I saw an
American Bittern (Jug Bay area).  It was the first one I've ever observed
here, and I was quite stunned (elated!) to find one here in winter.

The day was highlighted by on and off snow flurries that occasionally were
heavy, which affected bird activity quite predictably.  But I doubt I
could have been any more surprised when I saw the bittern, it was a
beautiful bird that seemed so out-of-place in the snow!  While I was
inside having breakfast and trying to watch the kids with one eye and bird
feeders with the other, I saw the bittern briefly as it crossed the river
and landed in the emergent/scrub-shrub wetland behind our house.  At
first, I was not convinced that it was a bittern from the brief view I
had.  Not to mention the time of year.  Depending on the view, a juv. b-c
night heron seems very similar (to me), and are present here year-round
(in low numbers); but my first impression was correct.  When I went
outside later, I was able to locate it on the ground, and also saw it fly
again (a short distance, to another spot in the same marsh).  If not for
the snow cover, I doubt I would have been able to see it while it was on
the ground.

It turned out to be a great day; I observed 60 species and had a couple
other nice surprises.  Most memorable were a black-crowned night heron
(adult); a group of 8 wild turkeys; and a snipe that waited out the
weather at a seep behind our house.  The snipe was flushed twice - once by
a !@#$ cat that unsuccessfully tried to catch it, and once when a red-
shouldered hawk flew by (although I'm not sure why the snipe flushed, the
hawk appeared dis-interested).  But both times it returned very quickly to
the same spot.  This seep is a great place to look during winter when open
ground is hard to come by.  One day during a hard freeze last year
(winter '03/'04), I watched a woodcock there that also waited out the
weather in the same vicinity as the snipe.

Jeff Shenot
Croom