BBC Snippets

Link: http://www.freelists.org/archives/bristol-birds/02-2008/msg00041.html

Early on, Bristol Bird Club members began to think about wintering Virginia Rails in the region.

They held the pioneer birders of the area with great esteem. That respect added immeasurable to the success and contributions produce for local ornithology. The ability to advance the knowledge of the Virginia Rail began at Abingdon.

Carl Fleenor was well in his senior years when he was first met in his living room. He was beyond his active birding years -- a productive time when he was Steve Russell's mentor. Carefully stored away were years of field notes, log books and diaries from his birding experiences dating well back to the 1940's. He loaned Wallace Coffey all of that and much of the better records were carefully transcribed and secured in files at Bristol.

It goes without saying that winter notes of rails at Abingdon did not go without an asterisk and margin notes for the BBC.



A Sora Rail at the famous Stonemill Marsh in Abingdon Jan 30, 1951 was intriguing. But so were two records for Virginia Rail: Dec 12, 1950 and Dec 28, 1950. What was going on here ? Birders soon began to realize that the occurrence of the Virginia Rail in winter was probably more frequent across the region. It came down to knowing where to search and how to search. That was accomplished with a little more experience. The Virginia Rail soon showed up on the Bristol Christmas Bird Count in 1993. It was again found on the BBC count in 1995. Birders probably have not searched carefully in the years since. That doesn't mean not searching at all ;-) Coffey was well aware that Clemson University ornithology professor Dr. Sid Gauthreaux--a world authority on tracking migrant birds with radar, had worked with graduate students to inventory rail populations in South Carolina. One of their methods involved shooting bottle rockets over marshes and, when they exploded, the rails would call. For more than a decade, Coffey carried bottle rockets in the trunk of his car. He was several times successful in getting Virginia rails to call back. It became an annual ritual for young people in his CBC parties to request he shoot a rocket at a certain marsh.

The Virginia Rail status remained somewhat unclear. It nested in spring at Meadowview Marsh in Kingsport where Rick Phillips and Fred Alsop reported two nests May 5, 1976. It was reported nesting there again Mar 13 to Apr 20, 1986 when Phillips found a nest with 7 eggs.

A hen with six tiny black chicks was discovered at Quarry Bog in Shady Valley, 20 May 2001, by Judy Musick and Janice Martin. Larry McDaniel, Don Holt and Coffey saw the chicks within a few minutes. The elevation there is 2,800 feet. This may be the highest nesting elevation known in the Southern Appalachians. It is certainly a state record.

As amazing was the Virginia Rail found in Shady Valley in winter when a single bird was recorded Feb 19, 2005 at Orchard Bog by BBC and Elizabethton bird club members during a joint field trip. Someone needs to get up there right away ;-)

Tony Decker of Marion , VA had two adults with three immature at the Saltville Ponds July 24, 1983. The following year the Virginia Society of Ornithology Breaks foray found two breeding season records, June 11, when the rails responded to a tape. The birds apparently were on territory in strip mine marshes on Cow Fork in Buchanan County near Breaks Interstate Park.

The discovery of several Virginia Rails at a small marsh at Saltville, Smyth County, VA in mid-April 1991 led to the finding of the largest population (or number) of the species known in the region.

Fourteen birds were counted at the salt ponds on 14 April 1991. It is the largest number of the species recorded west of' the Coastal Plain in Virginia.

BBC member Carol Boone of Tannersville, VA found Virginia Rails at the ponds on 11 April 1991 when she heard frog/bird-like noises coming from reeds. She returned to the pond area later in the day and, with the help of Steve Hopp, used a tape recording of the bird's voice to identify the species. They had at least five birds to respond and several visually identified.

Another very active BBC member, Alice Nair of Marion, went to the ponds on 12 April and played a tape. She found the birds to be agitated.

The record 14 Virginia Rails were counted by Rick Knight and Wallace Coffey on 14 April 1991 at the same marsh and reed areas near the ponds at Saltville. They used a similar tape recording of the rail's voice and walked around the edges of all areas which had vegetation similar to the location where Boone and Nair found rails. Seven birds were visually identified as they responded to the tape. Birds were found at four locations.

Before you grab a tape and rush out to hunt for Virginia Rails, it is wise to remember this note of caution:

In Shady Valley on May 31, 2005, Chris O'Bryan was trying to develop a new method to lure the species. So he got down on knees in the pond at Quarry Bog and played the tape several times. A rail began to call back. It soon slipped out in the open but dashed for cover. The rail then confidently walked out in the open. Then it walked slowly and deliberately in a circle around Chris. It repeated walking around him, almost always out in plain sight. Coffey moved within 10 feet of Chris and the rail several times walked between the two birders.

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.

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. Chris couldn't get over all the details which he carefully studied. The bird was present for about 25 minutes. Chris could see the color of the inside of the mouth every time it opened its bill to grunt.

Chris was looking right down the Virginia Rail's throat !

Be careful if you have a weak heart :-)