The bittern turns out to be a real crowd puller, because this Friday morning the presence of the animal is also a reason for many park visitors to stop and take a photo. Some enthusiasts come especially for the bird, others make their daily tour through the park. Dogs barking, joggers passing by: it doesn’t bother the bittern much.
With a smile from ear to ear, Atze van der Goot, urban ecologist, captures the bittern on camera. “Normally they are very shy animals. So it is actually a very bizarre situation that all these people and dogs are walking past here and that bittern just continues hunting. Apparently he’s not concerned about that. So it’s a very chill bittern.”
Discoverer
The bittern was recently discovered by Walter Duijves during a walk with the dog. “Luckily I had my binoculars with me. And I think: I’m looking at a bittern, but that’s just not possible.” Well, it turned out when he started analyzing his photos.