ML141589041
Contributor
Date
Location
- Age and sex
- Unknown age, Unknown sex - X
- Sounds
- Call
- Playback
- Playback used
Media notes
Sharp 'kiu' or 'kweek' calls and one grunt series by Virginia Rail at Ocean Beach Park, Santa Barbara Co. Recorded 12:36 p.m. using iPhone handheld. Background birds include Ruddy Duck, Marsh Wren, Red-winged Blackbird, and Song Sparrow.
Observation details
These responded to playback beyond the north end of the old bridge and in the bulrushes and estuary edge. Grunt series repeated by two birds and then one approached giving a single, loud ‘kweek’ call (recording made). This bird eventually walked very close to me (I had ceased playback, and the bird simply carried on searching the area). The bird eventually flew on its own across a small pond, dragging its feet or body in the water during the last part of this short flight. I think the bird had captured something and was carrying it away across the pond. I noted a medium sized rail with deep orange rufous on neck and underparts, gray face, black flanks with thin white vertical bars and olive and gray brown striped upperparts. The bill was moderately long and slightly decurved at the terminal 1/4; the mandible was a bright orange-red. The sharp 'kweek' call ('kiu' in the literature) is similar to Sora. I watched the Virginia Rail utter this note, however, as it searched the marsh presumably in response to my playback. Description of this call is given by G. W. Kaufman (1983, Wilson Bulletin 95:42-59, specifically see page 55).
Technical information
- Recorder
- iPhone 7
- Microphone
- internal
- Accessories
- RodeRec app for recording
- Original file size
- 16.32 MB