Least bittern
Images copyright by Mark A. Chappell
Least bitterns are usually very shy and reluctant to show themselves, and this adult male was no exception. In the left image, he's calling to another male, and in the right he's listening, but he would not come any farther out of the reeds than shown here. This bird was at the mouth of the Whitewater River at the north end of the Salton Sea, in extreme southern California.