Clapper Rail, Exposed For years I’ve been playing hide-and-seek with the secretive birds concealed inside the thick vegetation of our local marshes. These birds, known as rails, have continued to elude me. Only rarely have I been able to catch a fleeting glimpse of one foraging along the edge of a marsh or a mudflat… It’s gone in a moment, disappearing almost immediately into the dense grasses, and slinking away into oblivion before I can get a decent photo. That is, until one day recently, when something magical happened to fulfill my quest for photos of a Clapper Rail. Town Creek Bridge It was a hot summer morning. I happened to be standing on the bridge over Town Creek at the entrance to Beaufort. I was scanning the marsh below in search of wading birds. Despite the constant rush of cars travelling over the bridge, something moving caught my eye in the serene waters below. Town Creek Marsh There in plain view was a single drab waterbird swimming in the creek. The bird’s neck was extended forward while swimming, typical of a Clapper Rail, Rallus crepitans. It emerged out from the grasses into an open area of water just below me. I could hardly believe how lucky I was to see this bird out in the open! He stepped onto some boards, probably the remains of an old dock. His movements were quick and jerky as he walked along briefly, neck outstretched and tail erect… Jumping back into the shallow water, he began flapping around and dipping underwater, obviously bathing… Climbing out dripping wet, the bird settled onto an area of dead flattened grasses… He started preening his feathers… Note the bird’s long twig-like toes that help him walk on this type of vegetation… He fluffed up and lifted his wings to speed up drying his feathers… Almost dry… Although I didn’t observe him feeding, his diet consists of shrimp, crabs, fish, mollusks, insects, and some plant seeds. His long bill is adapted for probing in mud and digging for prey… After about 20 minutes, he returned to the water, crossing the creek toward the denser marsh grasses. His “thin as a rail” body slipped into the vegetation, where he immediately blended into his surroundings… Here are a few of the Clapper Rail’s close relatives, also found among the marsh grasses. On the left is the less shy American Coot. On the right is the yellow-billed Sora, also known as the Carolina Rail. Here are other elusive shorebirds… Green Herons >> Night Stalker of the Boardwalk >> Well-Hidden Night-Heron >> Please follow and like: Share this:FacebookXLike this:Like Loading... Post navigation Cooper’s Hawk in the BackyardRooftop Hawk