Forde Creek

[Julie Clark <>]

Hi All,

A couple of visits to the creek on the weekend proved to be pretty interesting.

Yesterday I observed (very briefly) 2 spotted crakes (I think) and then a buff-banded rail, followed by a 'streak' across the camera screen ... possibly another BBR, but couldn't be sure.

Today I had a much better view of 1 buff-banded rail, but no photos and then further along the creek a spotless crake and a Lewin's rail.

I'm wondering if the Lewin's rail could be the very young one I first saw back in October . It is certainly not an adult yet.  I watched it feeding for over 15 minutes. I took many photos but the distance and shade were both problematic.

If the development of the Lewin's rail is similar to the buff-banded rail then I would suggest that this bird is definitely less than 2 months old, meaning that it is NOT the same bird seen in October. Its bill and legs showed no colour change and there was no sign of chestnut on the nape or shoulders.

Any comments regarding the possible age of the rail (probably difficult from the poor photos) would be appreciated.

Cheers

Julie

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 Lewin's Rail, Dec 13, 2015

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Julie Clark