The sun finally surmounted the last cloud bank this morning and emerged into a blue sky, the first in what seems like weeks. Even before that notable event took place, I was back in the marsh hoping to find my mysterious 'black rail' (not Black Rail) from yesterday. I did hear a Clapper calling but no sign of anything smaller in the rail department. There was a Marsh Wren (perhaps more than one) chattering away -- strangely enough, the first of the season. A very active troupe of Tufted Titmice included a guest appearance by a Blackpoll. I could have sworn the Titmice were looking for the Screech Owl -- it has been calling every night and was even still at it when I first went out this morning -- but seemingly without success.
I got an interesting e-mail yesterday from Melvin Cowgill who reports that there was an immature Virginia Rail at Brookhaven Lab yesterday. It never occurred to me that my 'black rail' might have been a juvenile something but young Virginia Rails can apparently hold onto their immature plumage right through September and into migration season. For many reasons, I now think that is what it was. We had a breeding Virginia here a few years back and I saw the single black chick a couple of times but never in its juvenile stage. The Virginia's version of a teen-ager is quite blackish with a white chin (which accounts for the glimpse of white that I saw); I never got a good look at the bill or I might have figured it out sooner! Not a new bird but a new plumage of a familiar bird; after the Clapper, the Virginia is the most common rail in these parts.
Eric Salzman
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