My middle son, William, watched a Virginia rail in our wetland last week. There is a drying pool of water that had been swollen with runoff from the Fish and Game Club pond on the other side of the road. As the weather got hotter the culvert stopped sending overflow water from the pond under the road and a depression (the pool) began to shrink. Dozen of black-faced dace were sequestered in the drying pool. When William visited the pool to collect fish for our home aquarium he found the rail picking off dace that were stranded and vulnerable.

He watched the rail for several minutes until it disappeared into the weft of reeds. Five minutes later, the rail reappeared and fed some more. The second appearance was observed by both William and his older brother, Casey, who had just driven up the road.

I have never heard rails in the wetlands before (14 years), but I never actually went searching for them beyond playing a recording one or two evening several years ago.

Ted
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