While standing on our deck tonight, watching a mother mallard and her
three young ducklings on a neighbor's pier, I suddenly realized that about 20
feet away from me, just beyond the line of marsh grass, the Clapper Rail that
we hear occasionally but see rarely was standing out in the open, preening.
Next something dark moved along the edge of the grass, getting just
far enough out to reveal itself as a gangly baby rail. Soon another followed.
After they disappeared back behind the grass, I slowly eased down onto our pier
to walk out beyond the grass line for a better look. The adult ignored me and
also appeared oblivious to the babies, eventually wandering away, leaving the
chicks foraging in the mud at the grass' edge. (It was extreme low tide.)
A third chick appeared and rushed off after its rapidly disappearing
parent, which soon met up with another adult for a brief amorous encounter. One
adult then went on up the creek and the other two rails faded into the marsh.
As I started to leave the pier, a chick emerged from the grass, just a
few feet beneath where I stood and scooted under the pier. It was quickly
followed by another and another and another, until I had counted six little
rails. They foraged along the grass-line and after 15 minutes or so, an adult
appeared, coming from the opposite direction from where the others had gone.
Eventually adult and babies wandered off together.
I was confused about the family dynamics but relieved to see that the
chicks had some adult supervision since it was already dusk and the tide was
coming in. I was also thankful for an opportunity to spend almost an hour
observing these elusive creatures at close range.
Shirley Bolinaga
Portsmouth
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