BIRDS OF NANTUCKET
THE VIRGINIARAIL
by Kenneth Turner Blackshaw
How many of you are thinking about a dance instead of a bird? Almost makes you wonder if the namers were being witty when they named it. Even more so when you find the name is not a good one. It turns out that Virginia is one of the more difficult spots to find this bird.

Virginia Rail

What you are thinking of is the "Virginia Reel," one of the oldest dances in the New World, the details of which were first published in England in 1685 by Sir Roger De Coverly. Okay, that's sorted out, let's learn about the real Virginia Rail!

Its scientific name is Rallus limicola. Rallus was the word that the Romans used for rails, so you can guess there are rails in Italy. The second part of the name means a critter that inhabits muddy places. This applies to most rails.

Roger Tory Peterson says there are nine species of rail in the U.S., five may occur on Nantucket although only three do so regularly. Two are known to nest here. Right now you should be thinking, "Muddy places - Nantucket has lots of them."

You might also be thinking, "skinny as a rail," or "thin as a rail." Rails must be skinny birds - you are right, great birding guru. Only it turns out that the phrase goes way back into the 14th century and is an analogy to fence rails, not birds. But birders find rails much thinner than fence rails and you will see why that is true.

Let me describe what sort of beast we're talking about. It's nine inches long from beak to tail, but consider that it has a long beak and virtually no tail. It also has long legs and rather large feet, well adapted to walking in squishy places. It has a chunky, chicken-shaped body and a long bill that curves down a bit, a handy tool for digging into the mud for breakfast. Our bird is generally rusty brown with gray cheeks and rather sporty, black and white, zebra patterned underwear. I bet you know people who might slyly wear something flashy like this around their nether regions. But I digress …

So now you know what Virginia Rails look like and where they live. Shouldn't be too hard to go out and find one. Ah, that's the problem. They are sneaky little devils, only seen when they want to be. But they are easy to hear. David Sibley tells us to listen for a wheezy, piglike, grunting series - wep wep wep wepwepwepwepwepweppppprrr, descending and accelerating. I just love the attempts authors employ to make you think of a birdcall!

One of my earlier Virginia Rail experiences was near a fresh water marsh in Colorado Springs. Virginia Rails had been seen at this spot, so there I was shortly after dawn one spring morning, listening. Lots of Red-winged Blackbirds, no rails. But it was 1971 and I was equipped with the latest technology, a portable tape player, heavy as a brick but not as easy to handle. After some clicking and whirring I was able to produce the necessary pig-like, grunting sounds. Almost immediately a response echoed out of the reeds. As I was frantically trying to rewind the machine, this very excited rail bolted out of the reeds, ending up right at my feet, thinking about pulling my shoelaces. It was like I was not there at all, but he was certain that another rail was. It was a birding experience of a lifetime and I've never again found another Virginia Rail as naive as this one.

On Nantucket, a good place to try this is the fresh water marsh across from the Life Saving Museum in Polpis. Even in mid-winter you can get them to respond. We've found them on the island every Christmas Bird Count since 1973 with a high of 17 in 2002. These winter birds undoubtedly spend the summer up in Canada's Maritimes. The miracle is that these weak-flying birds actually fly to Nantucket and back to America!

I've often had Virginia Rails come right in when called but they still manage to stay invisible. I can tell they are only a few feet away in the thick reeds but there's no visual recognition of the event at all. This is where the "skinny as a rail" phrase comes to mind again because they can flash through these reeds and not move a one of them. I've learned that their forehead feathers are especially adapted to handle the wear of pushing through dense plant growth. Also the ratio of their leg muscles to flight muscles is higher than any other bird. They prefer to run rather than fly. That's for sure.

Now you know more about rails and reels. The next time you get to dance a Virginia Reel, think about the Virginia Rail that grunts like a pig and make sure there's

not one untying your shoes while you are reeling! I

George C. West creates illustrations for these articles. If you enjoy 'social'birding, join the Nantucket Bird Club at 8 a.m. Sundays in front of Nantucket High School for a two to three hour birding trip. Call 228-1693 for more information. To hear about rare birds, or to leave a bird report call the Massachusetts Audubon hot line at 1-781- 259-8805. Find more about Birding Nantucket on the web at http://k-blackshaw.com/BN/BN.htm.