MAINE, (L. Umbagog. [Umbagog Lake, Maine]) Second nest of Botaurus lentiginosus
1876
Monday
June 5 [June 5, 1876] Cloudy nearly all day & rather cool. Spent
the first part of the forenoon writing letters.
Started off in my boat at 10.30 and paddled 
up as far as Stone's where I landed on the
floating island and began a search for
bitterns nests. I had hunted but a short
distance when brushing about with the
paddle among the low blueberry bushes I
felt a tap on its blade. Upon looking at
the spot my surprise was great to see a [female]
bittern sitting on her nest within a yard
of me. She was so puffed out that the
nest was entirely concealed and indeed nothing
of her shape was visible excepting a mass
of brown plumage and the head & bill
projecting from between the shoulders: not
a particle of the neck was exposed.
After looking at her for some time I poked
her with the blade of the paddle when
she struck at it forcibly with all the feathers
of her crown raised. I actually tried for
some time in vain to fend her off the
nest by main force and finally getting
the blade behind her head I pushed it
down on the ground so firmly that she
gasped for breath when it slipped off and
she rose off the nest in silence and flew
off to the main shore. There were two
eggs only and I left them in hopes
of her laying more. There was not
a trace of fear in her bearing - only a
fierce sullen determination. This nest
had some dry grass in its composition. Like
the one found Sat. [Saturday] it was on the highest &
dryest [driest] part of the island but unlike it