I drove the three hours south to this refuge in extreme south Arkansas because other birders were finding Least Bitterns there regularly. I’d never seen one except for brief views in flights over marshes.
There were a lot of birds around, but not a lot of open areas where viewing was easy.
I found a small pond of open water, surrounded by reeds, and parked my car at an angle that let me view out the window. Over the next hour I saw at least three Least Bitterns, including an immature.
As I watched the bitterns coming and going, I noticed a log that blinked.
I stayed about two-and-a-half hours, then headed back home, stopping to look at some dark ibises nearby.