How Social Dynamics Can Complicate a Rail ID

Huntley Meadows Park in southeastern Fairfax County, VA is a highly popular destination for birders, photographers, school groups, and naturalists. Much of its 1,425 acres is a freshwater wetland. A 1/2 mile boardwalk and observation tower makes wildlife viewing very accessible and enjoyable.

It has been 15 years since King Rails bred at Huntley Meadows. Speculation abounded about the reasons that this species, experiencing long-term declines due to range-wide habitat loss and degradation, no longer nested in the marsh. Some people may have thought the species might not ever breed there again.

The marsh has experienced great fluctuations in water levels in recent years primarily because beavers manage its hydrology and do it a bit differently than human engineers. They build dams and abandon them for their own good reasons. Rainfall is important too and this area has seen a number of droughts in recent years. But this year water is plentiful and the vegetation is lush, perhaps just right for rails?

Last year Virginia Rails bred successfully in the marsh. Here are a couple of photos I captured in 2008.


Again this season Virginia Rails have been observed and photographed with chicks. But, in the last week, a birder/photographer, Tony Coomer captured images of a King Rail with chicks that prompted skepticism and much discussion. Two of his photos are reproduced below with his kind permission. Others can be seen at his website http://acoomer.smugmug.com/gallery/5230409_BmJrx#601356835_J2N23




Some people were certain that these birds were the Virginia Rails, others just as certain that they were King Rails. The photos are quite good and certainly adequate for correct identification. So why the reluctance on the part of some to accept what the photos revealed? Why should there have been any controversy over the ID? Surely, everyone following birds at the park would want to believe that the long-absent Kings had indeed returned to breed again.

I considered Groupthink, a type of thought exhibited by group members who try to minimize conflict and reach consensus without critically testing, analyzing, and evaluating ideas. This kind of thinking happens all the time in birding. A birder, esteemed as an expert by all in a group, calls out an ID. Everyone assumes that he or she is correct and feels further scrutiny is unnecessary. Even when a mistake is recognized, only the most courageous among them will speak out and say, “Hey, I don’t think so.” But this is not quite the scenario we have here.

I’m more inclined to believe that it was a matter of overconfidence in experts, an overestimation of the ability of competent birders to find all breeding birds in a defined location.

These doubtful folks may have asked how the many expert birders who visit the park over the period could possibly have missed King Rails during the month or so of courtship, nest building, and incubation of eggs. They wondered how it could be that King Rails were first seen only when chicks were out and about. After all, they thought, bird sightings are reported to the nature center at the park by leaders of a weekly walk, attended by mostly experienced birders. A highly knowledgeable staff leads school children on regular trips into the marsh. Visitors record their observations on a ledger at the nature center. If King Rails hadn't been noticed before this, they couldn't have bred there, right? And the photos presented as King Rails must really be Virginia Rails. No, think it through again.

Consider the propensity of humans to see what they expect to see. Since Virginia Rails had already been known to be breeding in the park again this season, a quick glimpse of a mostly obscured rail, or the sound of a call, not dramatically different in the two species, could have been passed off by all but the most astute observer as a Virginia Rail.

Then, consider that rails are among the most secretive of species, flying infrequently, nesting a few inches from the ground in thick, inaccessible marsh vegetation. They work very hard to be sure their nests and eggs aren’t seen. They’re gotten quite good at this over the eons! Why should it be so hard to believe that these birds could be missed?

It seems undisputed now that they were missed. In the last few days additional reports and photographs of both King Rails and Virginia Rails have come in. So this story has a happy ending. Both rail species have produced young in the park in the summer of 2009! All those who love Huntley Meadows and its precious wildlife have reason to celebrate. Nature will always have surprises and we mere mortals should expect them and be humbled and appreciative.

Grassland Birds

The Dickcissel is a bird of the North American prairie. For folks living in its core breeding area like Iowa and Kansas, it may be nothing special. There, its song which it broadcasts over the grasslands, “ see see—dick! dick! chee chee chee, ” may become quite monotonous. But here, in the Piedmont of Virgina---Fauquier County, specifically--- the Dickcissel is a big deal. This species breeds only sporadically this far east, and some summers it can be difficult to find.


There is one charmed spot, a short stretch appropriately named Grassdale Road, that must have what this bird looks for in a place to raise a family. I have been visiting this location every year for the last five years, and yesterday this beautiful male appeared to be waiting for me. All I had to do was lower my car window after I turned onto this road and listen. He was right there, above me on a wire! His unmistakable, quickly repeated song was truly music to my ears.

I wonder where these guys perch to sing on the vast prairies where utility wires and fences must be spaced further apart? Here, they perch on nothing else, but make frequent trips to what I assume is the nest site, hidden deep in a field of wheat. The nest is placed near, but not on, the ground.

I’m worried that the field may be harvested soon. Incubation averages 12-13 days, but hatchlings require another 7-10 days in the nest. They are unable to fly for another few days after fledging. So, nesting in a cultivated field is a risky business.

The other species that appreciates Grassdale Road is the Grasshopper Sparrow, one of the ammodramous group, a little guy with a large bill, ragged tail, and intricately patterned plumage. Of course, you have to see them closely to appreciate the plumage. Photographing a 5-inch bird is more challenging than a 16-inch shorebird.



Male Grasshopper Sparrows favor fence posts along this road to declare their territory in song, and yesterday one bird had two favorite spots. He would make a large arcing flight between them, his wings flapping so fast that he appeared to be a little wind-up toy.

Visiting Grassdale Road, not far from Remington, VA, is a summertime ritual for me where, for a morning, I watch two of my favorite grassland species attempt to breed once again. I hope that as in July of 2007, when I took this photo of a newly fledged Grasshopper Sparrow, the birds I saw yesterday will be successful again.


With sadness, I remember that only one to two percent of the original North American Prairie survives. The Grasshopper Sparrow is in decline; the Dickcissel declined steeply by over 30% from 1966 to 1978 and then stabilized since 1979 at about two-thirds of 1966 level. (Cornell University's Birds of North American Online.)

Kinglet eyelashes

As photographic subjects, kinglets present few challenges. They forage in low bushes and scrub much of the time and are not at all skittish. Yes, they flick their wings and rapidly flit from branch to branch, but with a fast shutter speed, their quick movements can be captured quite easily. I’ve taken many, many shots of kinglets, and have vaguely wondered why I usually see some blurriness around their eyes, especially those of Ruby-crowned Kinglets, even when the rest of their feathers appear reasonably sharp.

Last week, a Ruby-crowned Kinglet graced me with its presence at eye level in good light for 30 seconds or so. I managed a few decent shots. When I magnified one of them, I saw what appeared to be..... eyelashes! I didn’t know kinglets have eyelashes. Or do they? But, I could count them, for heaven's sake.


Kinglets’ eye areas are described as having a “grayish-white eye ring broken at the top,” or a “white, broken eye ring.” But what about these Hollywood-style, curly eyelashes?

So, I goggled for quite a while and finally found this: “Several bird species, such as ostriches, hornbills, rheas, cuckoos, and some owls in the genus Bubo, which includes the Great Horned Owl, are known to have eyelashes. These eyelashes actually consist of bristles resembling mammalian eyelashes, and possibly serve to protect the eye against dust and other debris. Bristles are simplified feathers that consist only of a stiff, tapered rachis with a few basal barbs. The feathers have both sensory and protective functions.” Claudia Zan, research assistant, Home Study Course in Bird Biology Cornell Lab of O

That’s right. I remember seeing beautiful, long eyelashes on ostriches and rheas in zoos. At Washington, D.C.'s National Zoo, I photographed this Greater Rhea whose eyelashes were hard to miss.


But kinglets are not mentioned as being among the birds with eyelashes, and so the question remains. Do kinglets have eyelashes, or are they, like those of Hollywood starlets, faux?

Followup on "A Word (or two) about Duck Hunting"

Yesterday, after Rich Rieger introduced a hunting issue on the Virginia birding listserv, I posted to VA-Bird a link to my blog. The discussion of hunting is strictly forbidden on the listerv, but no such rule prevails here. I received a comment from Bob Adamek, a hunter, who expressed an opposing view. I have continued the thread with my response. If interested, refer to the comment section following “A Word (or two) about Hunting,” below.

I invite comments and none are censored or deleted. Mistakenly, I set my preferences allowing only registered Google users to be able to comment. I have corrected this so you can also use “Name/URL,” or “Anonymous.”

A Word (or two) about Duck Hunting

The beauty of blogs is that the blogger gets to set the rules. There are no moderators, no list “owners” piping in to squelch a perfectly worthy and lucid elucidation. No wonder blogging is so popular.

The discussion of hunting is verboten on the Virginia birding listserv--just too darn controversial--even though every couple of years or so someone new to the list gets in a few licks before being clobbered by the moderator. So, I plan to express an uncensored view on this barbaric activity.

I drove the George Washington Parkway again today, hoping to have close views of the ducks that have been concentrated together in the Potomac River in the little open water amidst the ice, often near the shore. In just two days, with temperatures as high as 55, the river again has become all liquid, beautiful and blue. Alas, the ducks were widely scattered and distant.

At Riverside Park, hunters were distant too, across the river in Maryland, shooting from a blind off shore. In front of the blind, they had their cute little decoys assembled, with fake wings spinning. A couple of guys in smart camo attire were walking the shoreline. With my spotting scope I could see one of them using a duck whistle, while the other carried a gun.  I certainly recognized them as human machomen, not a walking forest, but they were counting on the fooling the ducks. 

They were having a good day, I gather, judging from the many gun blasts and some splashing in the water. I wonder how they retrieved their prey, since no dogs or boats were apparent.  I also wonder about those hunters on foot when hunting is legal only from duck blinds. I plan to spend more time watching next time and have the Maryland Department of Natural Resources police phone number in my cell phone. 410-260-8888

How many more generations will pass before ducks will realize that the only humans to fear are those wearing camo. The rest of us enjoy watching ducks, identifying ducks, photographing ducks. Some who really shouldn’t, feed them, and some just plain ignore them. We’re all harmless. But ducks need to be on guard only for those walking forests, machomen in camo. I hope and trust they will learn that in time.

John Burroughs, writing in Wild Life about my Cabin, had it exactly right. In the end, he said, the hunter will have “only a dead duck” whereas the rest of us will have “a live duck with whistling wings, cleaving the air northward.”

Parkway Birding, Again

Once again, I returned to bird the George Washington Memorial Parkway. Why not? I enjoy seeing familiar avian faces and seem to discover something new each time I visit.

As I crossed the stone bridge over Hunting Creek, I spotted the two female ducks, a Lesser Scaup and a Common Goldeneye, who appeared to be sticking together here two days ago. No others of their species were in the immediate area, although many Lesser Scaup were on the Potomac within a mile or two. I've seen no other Common Goldeneyes anywhere else along the river this season. Maybe these two decided to be winter companions. Standing on the bridge with my camera didn't seem to spook the goldeneye.


Today, I followed the call of a Killdeer to its foraging spot on the edges of the little creek that runs along part of the boundary of the Belle Haven Country Club golf course.


You might think that pickin's would be slim here in late January, but this Killdeer nabbed a nice- sized insect larva.


Off it went to hunt a little further downstream.


I passed the dead fox, lying in the same position as when I first saw it two days ago. I was surprised that it had not obviously deteriorated nor been taken by a scavenger.

Keeping an eye out for the warblers I saw along this stretch of the parkway recently, I was delighted to see the Palm Warbler again. I didn't manage a photo, but was relieved to know it got through the night when the temperature fell to 8 degrees. I was able to find the Common Yellowthroat after the deep freeze but, so far, not the Orange-crowned or Yellow I saw here last week.

Today, I missed the Cooper's and Red-shouldered Hawks that I've seen on most visits, but rather a Red-tailed Hawk perched for a time on a two different trees alongside the golf course.


Ducks, geese, swans, eagles, gulls and herons can be found in the river at many spots from Hunting Creek to Riverside Park and it's fun to drive down the parkway, stopping at pull-offs and finally at Riverside to look for them. Every day, the birds are distributed a little differently, sometimes affording good views and even photos. So much of the river is frozen now, but the birds find the open areas and often congregate in tight rafts.

A couple of Tundra Swans were close to the shore at the Vernon View pull-off, but naturally, they took off in the direction of Maryland as I approached the water.


A good ear and sharp eye is often needed to spot a Brown Creeper. Fortunately for me, both were provided by a friend whom I bumped into along the parkway this morning.

Ice on the Potomac

Inauguration morning didn’t look any different than any other along the George Washington Parkway, except that the traffic was much lighter and there was a Coast Guard ship sitting at anchor in the mostly frozen river.

Having spent some time along the parkway over the last couple of weeks, I recognized a perched Red-shouldered Hawk and a Cooper’s Hawk that flashed by as likely regulars. A few Killdeer passed overhead, headed for some mud alongside open water.

Hoping to find the four warblers I saw a few days ago, I managed to locate only the previously camera-shy Common Yellowthroat. Chipping vigorously and foraging in low vegetation, he let me snap a couple of photos. He looked like a first fall male to me, with some mottling on his cheeks, suggesting the black mask he will acquire.



Both kinglet species know how to handle winter and a small flock of Golden-crowned and a Ruby-crowned were working the understory for nourishment to handle their energy requirements for another cold night.



No, not frozen swallows, they're only milkweed pods, possibly coated with a fungus of some kind.


Startled to come upon this fox, I drew back to a safe distance, not knowing if it was asleep or dead. It quickly became apparent it was dead. Its healthy appearance and beautiful, thick and lustrous coat gave no clue as to what might have taken it. Too bad.


Crossing over the stone bridge which spans Hunting Creek, I noticed a Pied-billed Grebe.


and nearby, two female ducks, a Lesser Scaup and Common Goldeneye.



The sewage treatment plant of the Alexandria Sanitation Authority discharges reclaimed water into Hunting Creek just upstream, so the creek is open and unfrozen. Many hundreds of geese and gulls were resting and cavorting on the creek.


Leaving in time to watch the swearing-in ceremony of the 44th President of the United States, Barack Obama, I felt a bit like this Golden-crowned Kinglet who appeared to be jumping with joy.