Virginia Rail

For my World Bird Wednesday and Nature Notes I have some shots of the Virginia Rail.

I mentioned my lifer the Virginia Rail on my post below with all the other birds I saw while touring Poplar Island, Md. But now I am doing a separate post describing the Virginia Rail and showing more of its habitat. The adult has chestnut colored wings, a long bill, and a gray face. The female can lay 5 to 13 eggs on a raised bed of cattails and other plants. Both parents care for the chicks and they are able to fly in less than a month. The rails chicks are black in color.  

Below, one of the Virginia Rails walked out onto the road where we were standing. All twenty five of us stopped and stood still. We were not sure what the rail was going to do and then it stopped right near one of the birders legs. At least on my photo it looks close. As soon as it noticed all of us watching, it turned tail and ran back into the brush. It did not go far because that was were the chicks were.

On this shot below we watched as the Virginia Rail and some of its chicks ran back and forth. The Virginia Rail breeds in upland freshwater marshes and coastal salt marshes. To avoid predators this species can dive underwater propelled by its wings.  They eat insects and aquatics animals.

I was not able to get any shots of the chicks, they were quick. But I think I saw both adults.

I was thrilled to see my new lifer the Virginia Rail!  Rails in general are very secretive birds more often heard than seen. The are fairly common dispite the continuing loss of their habitat. I am hoping they will do well on Poplar Island.

To see more wonderful photos and pretty birds please make sure to visit Springman's World Bird Wednesday  and Michelle's Nature Notes.  thanks to both Springman and Michelle for hosting these great memes.

Also, thanks again for visiting my blog and post. I hope enjoy my Virginia Rail. Happy Birding and I hope the rest of your week is great. 

Birding Poplar Island, Md

I am linking my post  up with  Scenic Sunday and   Mosaic Monday and That's My World

I read on Dina's blog about the loss of Klaus, he was a great bird and nature photographer and very much respected. Klaus will be dearly missed.. I was always amazed at his photos.

My prayers go out to Klaus's family and friends.

On Friday my bird club had an outing to Poplar Island, Maryland an island located in the Chesapeake Bay. Tours of Poplar Island are given by MES ( Maryland Environmenal Services) reservations have to be made in advance by our bird club or by any group that would like to tour the island. We were met at the Tilghman Island dock by the MES boat and staff. After a 20 minute boat ride a staff person also drove our tour bus around Poplar island, stopping at various places so we could see the birds. I want to say KUDOS to the MES gals and guys that run these trips and to all the organizations are are helping to rebuild Poplar Island.

In earlier days the island once supported a small town, post office, cattle, sawmill and a school. Two US Presidents Roosevelt and Truman used the island as a hunting and a vacation retreat. By 1990 erosion had cut Poplar Island into three sections each around 10 acres. Today, Poplar Island is growing from a group effort and combined efforts of the Port of Baltimore, Army Corps of Engineers and the MES. Their reconstruction and restoration project is using dredged material from Maryland and Baltimore shipping channels. Construction started in 1998 and is suppose to continue thru 2020. During our tour we could see the bulldozers hard at work at the various wetland cells and the upland cells. When the island is completed it will be divided between tidal marsh and upland and will provide habitat for migratory and the resident wildlife. There is an ongoing school Terrapin Connection project for the nesting Diamondback Terrapins. I was able to see the baby terrapins that will soon be going to various schools where school children will be collecting data and taking care of the hatchlings until their release back on the Poplar Island beaches in May or June.  

Wildlife is already claiming Poplar Island as their home, we saw numerous Osprey, Eagles, Snowy Egrets, Great Egrets, Terns, GB Herons,  Avocets, Black Necked Stilts, Black Bellied Plover, various species of Sandpipers, Yellowlegs, Killdeer, various species of Seagulls, many DC Cormorants, Barn and Bank Swallows and lots of Mallard ducks, Redwing Blackbirds, Cowbirds and some Black Ducks. The Diamondback Terrapins are already successfully nesting on the island.

I was able to see two new lifers, one was a Virginia rail and its chicks and the other was the Hudsonian Godwit. The Godwit was too far away but I did get a couple of rail photos. The chicks were too fast but they were cute.

The finished island project is suppose to include boat docking facilities, information kiosks, self guided nature trails and boardwalks, avain observation areas, picnic area and other resting and viewing areas. It sounds great and I am already hoping to go on another one of my bird club's outings to Poplar Island. 

While we were on the island, it looked like a sailboat race was happening on the Chespaeake Bay.

To see more wonderful mosaics and photos please visit The Holley's at Scenic Sunday and Mary's Mosaic Monday and That's My World.  Thanks to the Holleys of Scenic Sunday, Mary for hosting Mosaic Monday and thanks to the hosting group of That's My World: Sylvia, Wren, Sandy.

 

Thank you for visiting my post this week, I hope you enjoyed my visit to Poplar Island. I hope everyone has a wonderful week. Happy Birding!!!!