Photo by Christy Hand / South Carolina Dept. of Natural resources
Black Rail in the Aurora's McKenzie Wetlands
It seems like it has taken forever, but the total number of birds on my life list has just climbed from 425 to 426. Last Friday I spotted a juvenile Black Rail squeezing between thick cattails at the west side of Aurora's McKenzie Wetlands. It was alongside the boardwalk and it scurried underneath both sides of the boardwalk, but gave many quick views of itself. Because is was so small and almost totally black, it had to be a juvenile. Just as my many field guides describe it, it was quite difficult to flush and glimpse, but I persisted. Black Rails, both adults and juveniles, are dark little birds, secretive, stealthy. They never give good views of themselves, which they achieve by sticking to damp areas in dense grass and reeds. But I persisted to the point that I was 95% sure of what I was seeing. It was hard to see, but unlike anything I had ever seen before. And as it was what I believe to be a juvenile, adults or siblings might also be about. As I am a few months from turning 80 years old, I hope it's not another 15 years before I see my next lifer!
Please comment if you wish.
BarrytheBirder
1 comment:
Congratulations Barry!
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