A Bittern’s Sweet Release

In the fall of 2025, Tamarack Wildlife Center admitted a truly special patient, an adult female American Bittern from Erie, Pennsylvania. This striking bird is listed as state endangered, which made her arrival and eventual release especially meaningful. She was admitted in September with a fractured coracoid, part of the shoulder girdle similar to a human collar bone, likely the result of a vehicle collision. With diagnostics including X-rays, medication, and professional medical care, she recovered.

American Bitterns are members of the heron family and are famous for their secretive nature. They thrive in wetlands and marshes, where they rely on patience and camouflage to survive. Their bold striping and ability to stretch their necks straight up allow them to blend perfectly with reeds and cattails. Often called the “marsh ghost,” a bittern can stand motionless for long periods, waiting for the perfect moment to strike at a fish, frog, or insect with its long, sharp bill. Extensive wetland loss, habitat degradation from pollution, and other threats have made them increasingly rare in Pennsylvania.

As her release date approached, winter added an extra layer of complexity. While American Bitterns sometimes overwinter in northwestern PA, none had been observed locally that season, likely due to early and severe winter weather. To give her the best chance of survival, Tamarack staff coordinated with an extraordinary village of licensed rehabilitators, biologists, and volunteers to plan a safe release in a more suitable habitat. After a final nutritious meal at Tamarack, she began a carefully choreographed relay through Pennsylvania and into Maryland, with a stop at Owl Moon Raptor Center for banding before continuing on to the Chesapeake Bay.

Transported on the final leg of her journey by boat, she arrived at Poplar Island, a restored wetland paradise in the Chesapeake Bay that is a popular stopover site for migratory birds along the Mid-Atlantic flyway and provides a home to a wide variety of other wildlife. This habitat, perfect for American Bitterns, is where she was released.  We are deeply grateful to our partners in this release, including Emily Garrigan of West Shore Wildlife Center, Suzanne Shoemaker of Owl Moon Raptor Center, Biologist Tim Carney and the Port of Baltimore, and our dedicated volunteer transporters Wendy Merrill, Alan Martello, Tara Staub, and Kristian Motley. Thanks to this incredible teamwork, this elegant marsh bird is healthy, free, and back where she belongs.