[Bristol-Birds] In your face with a Virginia Rail ;-)

From: "Wallace Coffey" <jwcoffey@xxxxxxxxxx>
To: "Bristol-birds" <bristol-birds@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Date: Tue, 31 May 2005 22:39:42 -0400
Two Virginia Rails were located at Quarry Bog in Shady Valley, Johnson Co., TN 
today (5/31).  This is the same number that responded to a tape recording 
played there almost two months ago by Rick Knight.  Today is the last day of 
the spring season for bird records so Chris O'Bryan and I checked for the 
rails.  Their presence is strong evidence of birds on territories.
We tried to get a bird to respond to us without success today about 4 p.m.  
Fifteen minutes later, while we were busy other aquatic work, a rail called.  
It soon slipped out in the open but dashed for cover when I reached for my 
binoculars.

A few minutes later it seemed to have traveled completely around the pond and 
was within a few feet of us.  Chris saw it walk out in the open for a few 
moments.  Then I got the same good look.  

We decided to cross the pond in our waders and try again for the bird from the 
otherside to see if there were two birds (possibly both males) with one still 
on the other side.  Maybe the bird near us was a seperate rail.

As soon as Chris was on the other side the bird flew across the pond in the 
opening and ran into the rushes and sedges.

Chris, in hip waders, then got down on his knees in the water and played a call 
to the bird.  The rail confidently walked right out in the opening.  Then it 
walked slowly and deliberately in a circle around him.  It repeated walking 
around him, almost always out in plain sight.  I walked within 10 feet of Chris 
and the rail would walk between us and did this several times.

Most amazing of all was that the rail walked up right in front of Chris.  It 
was maybe three feet away.  Chris felt like he could just pick the bird up.  I 
watched through my binoculars.

Then the bird pulled its head back and opened its bill and began to give the 
Virginia Rail grunting call.  It jerked its neck up and down as it grunted.  
The bird was grunting right in Chris' face.  We couldn't get over all the 
details which we carefully studied.  The bird was present for about 25 minutes. 
 I commented that we easily saw the color of the inside of the mouth everytime 
it opend its bill to grunt at us.  

Chris was looking right down his throat !

I told Chris that this was the most amazing encounter I could imagine with a 
Virginia Rail.  I had never known anyone down on their knees in a bog 3 or 4 
feet from a rail which was standing in the wide open calling right at them !  
:-)   We were astounded.
I have never had this good a look at a woodcock calling in my life.  Let alone 
a Virginia Rail.  We both agreed.

In just a few minutes,  another bird called from about 30 or 40 yards away to 
the west of the pond.  It was further out in the rushes.

Chris had gathered several aquatic plants he wanted to key and was sitting on a 
log with me standing nearby.  The rail came back around to our position and 
began calling again.  We felt satisfied we most likely had only two birds.

This is the same location where a Virginia Rail hen with 6 black chicks was 
seen at very close range, 20 May 2001, by Judy Moose, Janice Martin, Larry 
McDaniel, Don Holt and myself. 

Also of note was seeing a Ruby-throated Hummingbird gathering down from the 
brown overwintering spike of cattails.  The bird was flying to several 
different spikes to gather what we felt was nest material.  Most of the typical 
sources for eggs and nests note that the nest lining is plant down.  I suppose 
it is so varied that they did not go into what plants the down might come from. 
 At least, one hummer used cattail spike down.

Let's go birding......

Wallace Coffey
Bristol, TN



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[Bristol-Birds] In your face with a Virginia Rail ;-)

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