TROPIC and NEAR-TROPIC BIRD COLLECTION

Virginia Rail "Nesting" Virginia Rail- Rallus limicola Virginia Rail- Rallus limicola, Family Rallidae (Rails, Gallinules and Coots). Wow! A female had built a nest adjacent to the "Observation Tower." I had an extremely difficult time taking pictures. This female was tending to her nest in Spring Valley Nature area in SW Ohio on a beautiful sunny, mid-April day. (Photo: April 18, 2004, Canon 10D, EF 400mm f/5.6 L USM, 1.4x teleconverter EF ll lens, manual focus) Family Rallidae: "Rails are compact, rather chicken-shaped marsh birds of secretive habits; more often heard than seen. The Virginia Rail is a small, rusty rail with gray cheeks, black bars on flanks and a long, slightly decurved bill.

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Photos Copyright R. Hays Cummins. Authorization required. For permission, contact hays@environment-education-press.org

Sources of species identification and other amazing info include (1) Cornell Lab of Ornithology--a fantastic site; (2)Birds of Eastern and Central North America, Peterson Field Guide Series, Fifth Edition, Houghton Mifflin Company; (3) The National Audubon Society's Sibley Guide to Birds and (4) Field Guide to the Birds of North America, Third Edition, National Geographic, Washington, D.C.