American Bittern

1-layer screenprint with hand-painted eye using watercolor pen on Stonehenge Warm White hand-ripped deckle-edged paper
8.5"x11"

I’ve depicted the American Bittern in one of its most notorious stances, frozen with head pointed skyward when perceiving a threat. Sometimes this bird will even sway with the reeds to camouflage itself further. This bird’s survival is threatened because of population decline from habitat loss. I was initially interested in this bird because 1. I’ve never seen one and 2. They live in one of my favorite places to explore: marshlands, bogs, and waters’ edges. In Vermont, primarily white settlers have a long history of moving and dredging rivers as well as a recent past of reciprocity with nature through stewardship and conservation. When we move rivers, we cut off other essential waterways like inland marshes that support small wetland creatures like frogs, turtles, snakes, and even spawning pike that feed our feathered friends. “Riparian restoration” projects as well as larger conversations about floodplains, climate change, and conservation are becoming more popular and give me hope that we can rewild and restore some of the wetlands that are needed for birds like this to thrive.