{"id":96346,"date":"2021-10-16T05:35:26","date_gmt":"2021-10-16T11:35:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/?p=96346"},"modified":"2021-10-16T05:35:26","modified_gmt":"2021-10-16T11:35:26","slug":"how-i-found-this-secretive-virginia-rail-at-farmington-bay","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2021\/10\/16\/how-i-found-this-secretive-virginia-rail-at-farmington-bay\/","title":{"rendered":"How I Found This Secretive Virginia Rail At Farmington Bay"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"VirginiaVirginia Rail warming up in the morning sunlight – Nikon D810, f7.1, 1\/1000, Nikkor 500mm VR with 1.4x TC, natural light
\n<\/span><\/p>\n

Today I wanted to write about how I found this secretive Virginia Rail in the marsh at Farmington Bay WMA yesterday morning.<\/p>\n

I am always looking for birds but even more so when I am in the field. I basically put any other thoughts or worries out of my mind. I don’t think about the things at home that might need doing. I push the news of the day as far out of my mind as I can. I barely glance at the screen on my phone.<\/p>\n

I put my whole<\/em> focus on finding, observing, and photographing birds and everything else can wait until I get home.<\/p>\n

\"AdultAdult Virginia Rail stretching a wing – Nikon D810, f7.1, 1\/1250, Nikkor 500mm VR with 1.4x TC, natural light<\/span><\/p>\n

Yesterday morning I found a Pied-billed Grebe in a small opening in a marshy area and when that grebe dove under the water I thought I had missed my chance at photographing a bird at that spot.<\/p>\n

Then I detected a slight movement in the cattails at the edge of the water. When I focused my eyes on that location I spotted the Virginia Rail out in the open most likely enjoying the warming rays of sunlight after a chilly autumn night that dipped below freezing.<\/p>\n

\"AdultAdult Virginia Rail and its reflection – Nikon D810, f7.1, 1\/1000, Nikkor 500mm VR with 1.4x TC, natural light<\/span><\/p>\n

Pointing this rail out was difficult. I was taking photos of it as I explained where to look for the bird and I probably took more than a hundred photos of the rail as I did.<\/p>\n

You know what?<\/p>\n

Pointing the birds I find out to other people isn’t easy. I had to look over my viewfinder to try to locate something to point out that looked different enough to give directions as to where to find the rail. The rail could have disappeared into the cattails during that brief period of time.<\/p>\n

Thankfully the rail stayed perched on a small mound of aquatic vegetation next to the cattails.<\/p>\n

\"VirginiaVirginia Rail in the wetlands at Farmington Bay – Nikon D810, f7.1, 1\/1000, Nikkor 500mm VR with 1.4x TC, natural light<\/span><\/p>\n

The Virginia Rail seemed to glow like a feathered beacon in the bright morning light. I hoped that the rail would stick around long enough for me to take photos of it in action…<\/p>\n

\"VirginiaVirginia Rail stretching both wings – Nikon D810, f7.1, 1\/1000, Nikkor 500mm VR with 1.4x TC, natural light<\/span><\/p>\n

And the rail stuck around for a bit. The rail preened, scratched, and stretched their wings over their back.<\/p>\n

Most of the time I only get partial views of rails because they are very secretive, skulky birds. In some areas of norther and southwestern Utah they are year round residents. They are a species I hear<\/span><\/a> more often than I see or photograph them. This rail was silent.<\/p>\n

\"VirginiaVirginia Rail flapping its wings – Nikon D810, f7.1, 1\/1800, Nikkor 500mm VR with 1.4x TC, natural light<\/span><\/p>\n

The Virginia Rail also fluttered their wings several times while I had it in my viewfinder. I was delighted that the rail’s whole reflection was in this frame.<\/p>\n

\"VirginiaVirginia Rail on tiptoes – Nikon D810, f7.1, 1\/1000, Nikkor 500mm VR with 1.4x TC, natural light<\/span><\/p>\n

The rail also stretched its legs, neck and bill as I photographed it. I liked how in this photo I could see the long toes on the right foot, the flapping wings and the red eyes of this rail.<\/p>\n

\"AdultAdult Virginia Rail with its bill open – Nikon D810, f7.1, 1\/1000, Nikkor 500mm VR with 1.4x TC, natural light<\/span><\/p>\n

When I took this image I couldn’t tell if the rail was yawning or if it was snapping its bill towards an insect I couldn’t see through my viewfinder. I did not see an insect in the frame before this one but I still can’t be sure why the rail opened their bill.<\/p>\n

\"VirginiaVirginia Rail heading for cover – Nikon D810, f7.1, 1\/800, Nikkor 500mm VR with 1.4x TC, natural light<\/span><\/p>\n

I was thrilled to find this Virginia Rail, to point it out, and to take photos of it before it disappeared into the cover of cattails. I don’t see these rails as often as I would like and to have one out in the open in the morning light was wonderful.<\/p>\n

To sum up how I found this bird is actually simple.<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. I was looking for birds and paying attention.<\/li>\n
  2. The rail moved and I saw it because of number 1.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    Life is<\/em> good.<\/p>\n

    Mia<\/p>\n

    Click here<\/span><\/a> to see more of my Virginia Rail photos plus facts and information about this species.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    Today I wanted to write about how I found this secretive Virginia Rail in the marsh at Farmington Bay WMA yesterday morning.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":96318,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[27,1022,697,26,4582],"tags":[4004,970,5552,4966,4366,5795,6863,3981,4620,6452,12497,12495,4094,4378,6733,8552,4585,4586,4584,2504,3964,6326,12496,30,4583,3996,4095],"class_list":["post-96346","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-avian","category-davis-county-utah","category-farmington-bay-wma","category-utah","category-virginia-rails","tag-adult","tag-autumn","tag-bill","tag-cattail","tag-cattails","tag-cold","tag-cover","tag-davis-county","tag-fall","tag-farmington-bay-wma","tag-flapping-wings","tag-heading","tag-marsh","tag-morning","tag-open","tag-preened","tag-rail","tag-rails","tag-rallus-limicola","tag-reflection","tag-stretching","tag-sunlight","tag-tiptoes","tag-utah-2","tag-virginia-rail","tag-water","tag-wetlands"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/virginia-rail-autumn-wetlands-mia-mcpherson-8911.jpg","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p11Mom-p3Y","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":106138,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2022\/09\/13\/adult-virginia-rail-portraits\/","url_meta":{"origin":96346,"position":0},"title":"Adult 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Sparrows","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/avian\/emberzine-sparrows-allies\/american-tree-sparrows\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Lincoln's Sparrow on a fence rail","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/12\/lincolns-sparrow-perched-mia-mcpherson-2042.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/12\/lincolns-sparrow-perched-mia-mcpherson-2042.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/12\/lincolns-sparrow-perched-mia-mcpherson-2042.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/12\/lincolns-sparrow-perched-mia-mcpherson-2042.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 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Rails because I don't find them out in the open very often, they are such secretive marsh birds.","rel":"","context":"In "Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge"","block_context":{"text":"Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/locations\/utah\/bear-river-migratory-bird-refuge\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Adult Virginia Rail foraging in water, Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, Box Elder County, Utah","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/virginia-rail-adult-foraging-marsh-mia-mcpherson-1906.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/virginia-rail-adult-foraging-marsh-mia-mcpherson-1906.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, 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