Random Act of Metaphor: A Least Bittern in the Yacht Club Bay

Hmmm, how many years will pass before this exquisite moment is repeated?

I can count on one hand on the number of Least Bitterns I have seen in 25+ years of birdwatching. They are shy, furtive and solitary birds that stay hidden in the marsh where they sometimes straddle reeds as they hunt for fish. Their buffy colour is effective camouflage.

I was certainly not expecting to see one in the yacht club bay. Waterfowl are common in this particular bay. But there is precious little cover for skulkers.

No doubt this one had stopped to recharge before making the daunting, nightlong flight over Lake Ontario on his southward migration. It found a tiny patch of reeds, in a small channel at the south edge of the bay, which afforded it the anonymity it needed for a day or two of rest.

It occurred to me, as I watched it hunt for a much needed meal, that I might not see another one for years. And in that moment, this Least Bittern in the yacht club bay became a random act of metaphor for the exquisite moments of privilege that nature offers up for those of us who worship her. Such moments are precious few but well worth waiting years to behold.

~ Michael Robert Dyet is the author of “Until the Deep Water Stills – An Internet-enhanced Novel” – double winner in the Reader Views Literary Awards 2009. Visit Michael’s website at www.mdyetmetaphor.com or the novel online companion at www.mdyetmetaphor.com/blog .

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