Clapper Rails

Clapper Rails

Nice capture on the Illusive bird!

Very nice and not an easy bird to get in the open!

Nice score on an elusive bird!

nice set, interesting bird

Great capture!
At the risk of being anal, are you sure of your ID? My husband and I saw one like a few weeks back and our local bird guru identified it as a Virginia Rail. Note the grey face -- according to my Sibley's Field guide that is one of the identifying attributes of the Virginia Rail. Clapper Rails have orange cheeks and are quite a bit larger than the Virginia Rail.

Oops! Got posted twice somehow, so I edited it out

100% sure it's a clapper rail from plumage, stance and body shape.

Thank-you all for your comments & critiques. This bird is 100% Clapper Rail. The timing of this bird was late May. Further I could not show the habitat conditions. Here in FL these rails are particular about inhabiting salt marsh with a good deal of Mangrove component – in fact they lurk in the Mangroves. How I lured this bird out was to play my iPod with the calls of the Clapper Rail on it – they typically will readily respond as well as coming out in the open as they run back and forth. Virginia Rails winter here in FL but they do not even have an entry in the FL Breeding Bird Atlas. I have observed Virginia Rails in inland marshy areas during midwinter.

Okay, my apologies for doubting you. That's interesting info about using your iPod to call in the Rails. I've thought about trying that myself, but the sound seems lost in the great outdoors. On the other hand, I'm starting to get a little deaf in one ear, so the birds probably have better hearing than I do.

I do the world series of birding every year and have gotten king, clapper, virginia, black, sora... all by ear from returning calls(though recordings aren't aloud). during breeding season, they can indeed hear you from well over 200 yards(meters) on an average day.

My husband and I went out two days ago and tried playing the Virginia Rail call on the iPod in the area where we had seen the Rail a few weeks back. I guess it had moved on though, as we got no response. Or maybe it's just the wrong time of year. I can't wait until the summer birds come back so I can try calling in some of them. I know the Swainson's Thrush will respond, because my girlfriend can imitate their 'whit' call, and they come right to her.

try it in late april/early may(breeding season) and you will get a response if one's there.