The Eurasian bittern always lives in the shadows, in dense reed stands. It rarely takes wing and almost never shows up. Many bird watchers, like me, have been very close to a Eurasian bittern producing its sound - without seeing it! The sound is very characteristic and reminiscent of blowing in a glass bottle. Often the Eurasian bittern is in a camouflage position with an upward-pointing bill and a plumage that harmonizes with the shadows of the reeds; this position is sometimes called "pile position" and you can somehow imagine it in this picture.