[EBB Sightings] American Bittern continues at Lake Elizabeth, Fremont

Hi all:

Stephanie Floyd's Bittern did the dramatic pause, but made the grand entrance at 11:30 this a.m. at New Marsh adjacent to Lake Elizabeth. Stephanie's excellent directions follow.

Thanks to the spotting skills of the Huckabones, Kathy Robertson, and the Brandriffs, a nice group of us got treated to the south end of a northbound bittern as it appeared and disappeared into the marsh. Patience paid off and 45 minutes later the Bittern came out for the encore. 
Two digi-scoped images can be seen at:
http://flickr.com/photos/14935921 at N00/

Also seen were 2 Sora and a Virginia Rail, two small white geese (one Ross's) and 12 Cackling Geese.
Photos of the white geese follow the Bittern photos.  One is clearly a Ross's Goose. The 2nd, at least from some angles has a larger head, and from all angles has a curved connection between the base of the bill and the face. The very small differential in size, rules out Snow Goose, but I'm leaning towards some Snow Goose genes in this bird.  Comments encouraged.

Good birding,

Bob Power
Oakland,CA
Take I880 south to Stevenson and go east for about four miles.  After you cross Paseo Padre Pkwy, stay on Stevenson - the library will be on your right, then you'll pass the police station and animal shelter, then the lighted ball courts...Turn right at Gallaudet and park next to the tennis
courts. Walk south on the path towards the lake, past the red restrooms.  The Ross's geese may be on the lawn with the Canada geese just before you come to the pond known as New Marsh.  Or they might be on New Marsh or they might be in the northeast bay of the lake.  Or...sometimes the geese fly over to the field next to the animal shelter (you can park over there and look if necessary).  (by the way, you'll often see a loggerhead shrike at New Marsh, too).  The bittern was in the tule on the east side of New Marsh just down from the most southerly swallow box with the white goal posts framing it in the background as viewed from the west side of the lake.