Rails, Gallinules and Coots

King Rail**

Virginia Rail

Sora

Common Gallinule

King Rail**

Rallus elegans
Neil and Laura Moon, Reg Hartwell and Gertrude Davis no doubt had warblers on their minds when they approached the entrance to Island Cottage Wood on 14 May 1950. So what’s the first bird they found? A King Rail, “running toward the road like a young pheasant. With two of the group standing in the road and two just in the woods, not 15 feet apart, the bird walked leisurely and unconcernedly between them, almost within arm’s reach of everyone.” (GOS, April/May 1950)Talk about a “once-in-a-lifetime” experience for this region!
Background
We are at the extreme northern edge of the breeding range of this large rail, which has decreased “alarmingly” in the past 30 to 40 years in many areas, primarily because of loss of wetlands. It nests where there is shallow water in tidal and nontidal marshes, broad roadside ditches and rice fields. Severest declines have been in the northern part of its range; populations appear somewhat stable in Louisiana and Florida. “Best chance for longtime survival is on wildlife refuges, which, although established primarily for waterfowl management, can be equally good for rails.” (BNA 3: 1, 5, 8)
Local history
The largest rail recorded in our area was at one time at least an uncommon summer resident in western New York’s larger marshes, according to Eaton (1910), who knew of several records, primarily of fall birds. He listed it as a rare summer resident in Monroe County. (Eaton I: 271, county charts) One shot in a marsh on the lakeshore “about August, 1880” in Carlton was either in our region or very close to it. (Auk 16: 194)George Guelf of Brockport had a specimen that was taken 30 November 1914 at Buck Pond. (B&M, p. 194) However, R. E. Horsey, in his listing of birds seen at Rochester and Monroe County from 1913 to 1936, listed only a single record, on 24 August 1919. Edson in 1954 knew of only four records since 1910, mostly single birds seen only one day. (WBR, 17 May 1954) They included 23 April 1910 and 24 August 1914.
Status
The Monroe County annotated list (1985) described this as a sporadic, very rare visitant that “may breed.”
Occurrence
About 16 records since 1949, in three main groupings:
1949 to 1954: Five records in the space of four years. These included one on 25 August 1949 (Nelson, Dolan, et al) at Beatty Road. (GNR) Another spent January to 19 February 1950 (Moons) “in the cattail marshes at Manitou . . . bordering Braddock’s Bay.” (See GNR) Yet another, (Edson wondered if perhaps it was the same bird that wintered) turned up two months later on 18 or 23 April (Dolan) at Ling Road swamp. (WBR 1 May 1950, GNR) The one that walked past the Moons on 14 May 1950 was at Island Cottage Road. Yet another on 9 May 1954 at Ling Road (KB 4:47) was “watched about 10 feet away by Listman and Van Beurden.” (WBR, 17 May 1954)(Note: Edson reported in July 1949 the sighting of a young, flightless bird accompanying an adult which “gives ample evidence that it has nested in this locality,” but gave no particulars as to location – WBR, 25 July 1949.)
1975-1978:One 26 April 1975 (R. Spahn) at Island Cottage was the “first in several years,” and the first of three records in four years. (KB 25:154) The others: one on 1 September 1976 (Woldkek) at Hamlin Beach SP (KB 27:36) and another on 4 September 1978 (McKinney) at Braddock Bay. (KB 29:37)
1993-2002:Then followed another long gap in sightings before one was found near Hilton 19-27 May 1993 by John Barna (LG, June/July 1993) and “was heard by a number of observers” through 8 June. (KB 43:316) This was the first of eight records of single birds from 1993 to 2002. All were spring or early summer, dates ranging from 19 May to 26 June, most from Brush Creek near the lakeshore in Hamlin or from Mendon Ponds Park, both locations giving us probable but not confirmed breeding during the second Breeding Bird Atlas project. One 19 May 1994 (R. Spahn) Round Pond. (KB 44:205) Not accepted by NYSARC. (KB 48:307) One 22 May 1994 (Davids, D. Tetlow, D’Anna, Ewald) Hamlin. (KB 44:205) One 20 May 1995 (R. Spahn, Griffith, Oswald) Brush Creek, Hamlin. (KB 45:189) Not accepted by NYSARC. (KB 48: 305) One 6 June 1997 (O’Hara) Hamlin “same site as previous years.” (KB 47:299) Not accepted by NYSARC. (KB 50:23) One 26 June 1999 (D. Tetlow, Davids) Mendon Ponds. (KB 49:332) One 16 June 2001 (D. Tetlow, Davids) Mendon Ponds. (KB 51:784) One 23, 26 May 2002 (Barry, Davids, Fox, D. Tetlow) Hamlin “calling” at “traditional location.” (KB 52:242) Accepted by NYSARC. (KB 54: 290)Often this elusive bird is detected only by its call. When NYSARC accepted the 2002 report, it noted: “Two rails were heard calling in the early hours of the morning from within the cattail marsh on Brush Creek, close to the Lake Ontario shoreline. On both nights, at least one King Rail responded vigorously to tape recordings of its own species as well as other marsh birds. The descriptions of the calls seemed to rule out Virginia Rail (R. limicola), which was also present in the marsh, and the freshwater habitat made Clapper Rail (R. longirostris) highly unlikely.” (KB 54: 290)

Virginia Rail

Rallus limicola
Kevin Griffith quietly stalked the edge of Rose’s Marsh on 12 June 1982, hoping to find evidence of nesting birds for the Breeding Bird Atlas project. “A loud ‘kid-ick’ rang out just in front of me. Fifteen feet ahead stood an adult Virginia Rail. It moved cautiously through the shallows as I stood motionless. Within moments a second adult appeared, and scampering behind were seven, black, downy young. The adults then sensed my presence, and a loud call sent the troop running for cover. For a brief moment I had enjoyed the company of the rail family.” And confirmed yet another species for block 2780C. (LG, July 1982)
Background
“A brief glimpse of a reddish bill and legs, banded black-and-white flanks, and a short, upturned tail is often all that is afforded observers” of this secretive marsh bird, writes Courtney J. Conway in the profile of this species for The Birds of North America series. The laterally compressed body, flexible vertebrae and modifications of head feathers to reduce wear, enable this bird to squeeze through dense marsh vegetation. Its breeding range extends all along the Pacific Coast, east across the northern U.S. and southern Canada, with additional breeding populations in Mexico and Central America. It is very local in distribution, but can be abundant where habitat is favorable. Adults build numerous “dummy” nests within their territories. Loss of wetlands has caused numbers to decline, but numbers are now believed to be relatively stable. However, current monitoring programs do not adequately survey this species. Wetlands that have plenty of emergent perennial vegetation, while retaining 30 to 60 percent open water or mudflat, provide optimal nesting and foraging habitat. (BNA 173: 1-2, 15)
Local history
Eaton (1910) considered this a fairly common summer resident in Monroe, Livingston and Wayne counties. (Eaton I: county charts)R. E. Horsey, in his listing of birds seen at Rochester and Monroe County from 1913 to 1936, indicated that sightings of single birds were the norm, with a maximum count of 20, on dates ranging from 25 April to 23 September.Leo Tanghe, in his 1953 listing of breeding birds in the Rochester area, considered this a common nester at such locations as the Ling Road Marsh and at Summerville (east bank of the Genesee River). (GOS, May/August 1953)When he looked at 1,665 outings by Genesee Ornithological Society members within a 50-mile radius of Rochester from 1951-1954, he found Virginia Rail reported 95 times, usually only 1-2 birds, and most frequently – 29 times – during the last half of May. There were two sightings in January. Note that at least some of these sightings may have occurred at Montezuma and Oak Orchard, just outside the current boundaries of Region 2. (KB 69: 5: 2A-2B)
Status Monroe County annotated list (1985) described this as a regular, fairly common summer resident and an irregular, rare winter visitant. However, with the emphasis on Big January and Big February, it appears this is a regular, though rare winter visitant.Livingston County, Fox (1998) considered this a (presumably regular) uncommon local summer resident.
Occurrence
Spring: The Monroe County annotated list (1985) indicated a range of arrival dates from 12 March to 24 May, with a mid range, or “normal arrival time” of 24 April to 9 May. The early date was apparently a reference to two seen by O’Hara et al at the Ling Road marsh in 1955 – though they may have been the same birds seen overwintering there on 20 February (see below). (GOS, January-March 1955)
Spring maxima: 8 on 12 April 1980 (S. Taylor) at Island Cottage. (LG, June 1980) 8 on 17 May 1959 (R. Dobson) were at Round Pond. (KB 9: 79) Summer/breeding status: During the first BBA project (1980-1985) this species was concentrated primarily in two areas, the St. Lawrence Plains and the Great Lakes Plain. Our region contained most of the blocks with evidence of breeding in the latter, especially in lakefront marshes west of the Genesee River. In the midst of that project, in 1983, Robert Spahn noted that “they were reported from numerous new locations such as tiny ponds with limited marsh vegetation.” (KB33: 266)During the second project, evidence of breeding was found in a similar number of blocks, but the distribution of those blocks had shifted, with a marked reduction in the western part of our region, and a marked increase in Wayne County, especially in the area of the Lake Shore Marshes WMA. It is not clear how much of this is attributable to increased observer access and effort to the east, and possible loss or change of habitat to the west.

1987 was considered a “banner season” for breeding when water levels were unusually low. (KB 37:221)
Summer maxima: 11 on 20 July 1978 (Griffith) at Chili. (LG, August 1978) 10 on several dates, June 1996 (McKinney) at Penfield. (GOS, September 1996)
Fall: The Monroe County annotated list (1985) indicated a range of departure dates from 14 September to 30 October, with a mid range, or “normal departure time” of 20 September to 9 October.
Fall maxima: 15 on 2 September 1951 (Klonicks) west lakeshore. (GOS, June/December 1951)
Winter: An odd-looking bird feeding along a woodland stream near Durand-Eastman Park in the middle of January 1974 puzzled Mr. and Mrs. Edward S. Barnitz. Neil and Laura Moon and a couple of boys from their neighborhood located it the next day: It was a Virginia Rail in “very dark, rusty plumage,” John Brown reported. “The bird seen was constantly engaged in a search for food, and on Mrs. Moon’s suggestion the boys dug some red worms out of a compost pile and brought them back to the stream. While they watched, the rail found them and gobbled them up without hesitation.” (BA, 24 January 1974)The wintering bird identified by the Moons in January 1974 was by no means unique. R. E. Horsey, in his listing of birds seen at Rochester and Monroe County from 1913 to 1936, indicated this species had been “noted a couple of times in January,” apparently in 1938.One on 12 January 1952 (Miller) was at Irondequoit Bay (GOS, March/April 1952); two on 20 February 1955 (Listman, VanBeurden) were at the Ling Road marshes (GOS, January-March 1955); and another on 11 January 1958 (Listman) at Russell Station. (GOS, March-May 1958)Region 2 Kingbird reports mention January or early February sightings of this species in 20 of 30 years from 1976 to 2005. One “stalked an open drainage ditch at Hamlin Beach” on 2 February 1980 (R. Dilcher), for example. (LG, March 1980) Even during the incredibly severe winter of 1976-77 – during a January that featured ‘killer’ blizzards and gale force arctic winds – birders could only marvel at the sight of two Virginia Rails “contentedly” scouring the edge of an ice-rimmed spring at Mendon Ponds “while a Myrtle Warbler fluttered between.” (LG, February 1977) One or two are found more winters than not in the park. Quaker Pond, in particular is a good spot for them. Katharine Zarik of Penfield found one while skiing near the edge of the pond in February 1979. “The bird came out of a clump of vegetation and was feeding along the course of a small stream connecting with the pond where there was open water,” John Brown reported. (BA, 14 February 1979) Indeed, Mike Davids has observed that “far better views of this secretive . . .bird are possible in winter than in summer when it is usually only a mysterious voice in the cattails.” (BA, 12 January 1984)Four were at Mendon Ponds Park – two at Quaker Pond, two at Deep Pond – in January 1980. (GNR) Three were in the park (Davids) on 30 December 1983 (LG, January 1984) lingering into early January; two to four were there (mob) during January 1988 (GOS, March 1988), another 3-4 from 1-4 January 2003 (D. Tetlow, Dalton) and three on 22 January 2007 (D. Tetlow, Davids) were exceptional winter totals. (LG, March 2003, 2007)
Misc.
This elusive but fairly common resident of wetlands responds readily to tape recordings of its calls. When Pat Martin tried this tactic at a marsh near Letchworth SP while leading a 1 June 2003 field trip, two of these birds “responded instantly and simultaneously, and one came running, literally, and vocalized at our feet, in full view of all of us. This happened twice while we all just stood there, grinning from ear to ear.” (LG, July/August 2003)Bob McKinney paddled through the Irondequoit Creek marshes south of Empire Boulevard in 1996, playing tapes of three rail species that might have been present. “With typical Virginia Rail behavior, the first response in any area of the marsh often included the bird coming out to within a few feet of the observer, calling loudly with their ‘grunting’ vocalization and acting very excited. A second or subsequent visit to the same location would, at best, only generate a few ‘grunts.’ Never did the presumed same individual come out a second time. Sometimes there was no response at all on the second visit. . . . On only three occasions was a Virginia heard to give their ‘kidick, kidick’ call. . . . this is not normally given in response to playing a tape . . .” (GOS, December 1996)Earlier that summer he had similar good results while leading a field trip. Along Swamp Road outside Bergen both Virginia and Sora rails responded readily to tapes. “When the Virginia Rails give their grunting vocalization their whole body shakes.” (GOS, October 1996)One unusually cooperative bird walked in through the tall grass at the hawk lookout at Braddock Bay in May 1983, John Brown reported. “When park mowers arrived it required a group effort to shoo the rail into the marsh for its own protection.” (BA, 19 May 1983)

Sora

Porzana Carolina
During the first Breeding Bird Atlas project, Kevin Griffith approached Rose’s Marsh. “As I neared . . . a sora let loose with its whinny. My head peaked through some willows and spotted the source – an adult bird perched upon a hummock. It soon broke into the whistled ‘ker-wee’ and before long was joined by a second bird. Both . . . then ambled off, each in their own direction. Since I had heard sora earlier in the year at this spot, that put sora on my list as probable.” (LG, July 1982)The whinny call of this species is “one of the most distinctive calls of any marsh bird,” used for territorial defense and as a contact note between mated pairs, note Melvin and Gibbs in their profile of this species for The Birds of North America. (BNA 250: 1, 6) Fortunately, this species seems to be holding its own in our region, especially in the marshlands from Sodus Bay eastwards along the Lake Ontario shoreline.
Background
This marsh bird is the most abundant and widely distributed rail in North America, breeding in freshwater marshes dominated by emergent vegetation across much of Canada and northern and western U.S. Despite a weak flight, it migrates hundreds of miles to winter in marshes along the Gulf Coast, in Mexico and Central and South America. Its breeding distribution has likely become more localized as a result of degradation and loss of wetlands. BBS data suggests populations are stable in Canada but declining in the U.S. There are hunting seasons in 31 states and two Canadian provinces. (BNA 250: 1, 3, 13)
Local history
“I have come upon a Sora’s nest when the young were hatching and some were still wet from the shell, but even these would follow their mother from the nest and start to wade or swim off and hide amid the grass,” Eaton (1910) wrote. He considered this the most abundant species of rail in New York. He listed it as a common summer resident in Monroe County and fairly common in Livingston and Wayne. (Eaton I: 277-8, county charts)Even so, R. E. Horsey, in his listing of birds seen at Rochester and Monroe County from 1913 to 1936, indicated that sightings of single birds were the norm, with a maximum count of three, on dates ranging from 5 May to 17 October. When Leo Tanghe looked at 1,665 outings by Genesee Ornithological Society members within a 50-mile radius of Rochester from 1951-1954, he found Sora reported 117 times – slightly more often than Virginia Rail at 95 – but only twice in June and July and most often in fall. Note that at least some of these sightings may have occurred at Montezuma and Oak Orchard, just outside the current boundaries of Region 2. (KB 69: 5: 2A-2B)Very good numbers were reported in fall 1953 in local marshes. “We have certainly had a noteworthy flight of Sora Rails along the lake shore this month,” according to the Goshawk summary for September 1953. “Many days they could be heard and seen without difficulty in every marsh one visited. One morning (Walt) Listman found two dead and one stunned on roads along the lake shore.” Twelve were reported at Buck Pond (Barry) on 24 October. (GOS, November/December 1953)Two years later, also in September, “the local marshes teemed with them. Their distinctive calls could be heard from every clump of marsh vegetation whenever they were disturbed.” (GOS, April-December 1955) And the following year: “Five Sora rails and one skittish Virginia rail came out of the cattails and obligingly paraded on (an) open beach” at the lake north of Hilton, John Brown reported. (BA, 6 September 1956) Tanghe, in his 1953 listing of breeding birds in the Rochester area, considered this an uncommon nester, listing Long Pond and Shore Acres as breeding locations. (GOS, May/August 1953)
Status
Monroe County annotated list (1985) described this as a regular, fairly common summer resident and a casual, very rare winter visitor (at that time only one record).Livingston County, Fox (1998) considered this a (presumably regular) uncommon local summer resident.
Occurrence
Spring: The Monroe County annotated list (1985) indicated a range of arrival dates from 9 April (1982, 1983) to 24 May, with a mid range, or “normal arrival time” of 2 to 13 May. Subsequently, two on 8 April 1998 (Kimball) at Nations Road were an even earlier “first of spring” arrival. (GNR)Note: One on 7 April 1986 (Nicoletti) at Braddock Bay was even earlier, but was not listed as a “first of spring.” (GNR) Spring maxima: 5 on 17 May 1959 (R. Dobson) Round Pond. (KB 9:79)
Summer/breeding status: Our region had one of the heaviest concentrations of blocks with evidence of breeding during the first Breeding Bird Atlas project (1980-1985), especially in lakefront marshes and along the lake plain west of Rochester. As with Virginia Rail, the second project found evidence of breeding in a similar number of blocks, but the distribution of those blocks had shifted, with a marked reduction in the western part of our region, and a marked increase in Wayne County, especially in the area of Sodus Bay and the Lake Shore Marshes WMA. It is not clear how much of this is attributable to increased observer access and effort to the east, and less observer effort and/or possible habitat loss to the west.

The difficulties of determining the actual status of this and Virginia Rail was alluded to by Griffith in 1999 when “the water was low in the marshes and numbers of reports were low, but canoe ventures into the more isolated sections of marsh produced rails without too much difficulty. It was only from the peripheral areas of the marshes that traditional rail reports were scarce.” (KB49: 330) Impressions of the relative abundance of these elusive birds, then, may depend on the extent to which birders are willing to carefully explore marshes in any given year.
Summer maxima:     14 on 20 July 1978 (J. and S. Skelly) at Chili. (LG, August 1978) Fall: The Monroe County annotated list (1985) indicated a range of departure dates from 6 September to 31 October, with a mid range, or “normal departure time” of 23 September to 13 October. Subsequently, one on 2 November 1991 (P. and J. Spindler) at Round Pond was later. (GNR) See also winter records below.
Fall maxima:    Max. 20 in September 1953 at various locations. (GOS, September/October 1953)     12 on 12 September 1971 (Genesee Ornithological Society hike) at Island Cottage. (GNR)     9 on 8 September 1991 (Davids) Hamlin Beach. (LG, October 1991)    12 on 24 October 1953 (Barry) at Buck Pond. (GOS, November-December 1953)
Winter: In the past not found as often here as Virginia Rail in winter. One seen 10 February 1980 (R. and S. Spahn) at Quaker Pond in Mendon Ponds Park was considered the first regional winter record. (KB30: 108; BA, 14 February 1980) Region 2 Kingbird reports mention January or early February sightings of this species in nine of 30 years from 1976 to 2005. However, with increased numbers of birders out accumulating “Big January” and “Big February” counts, it was found almost yearly in Mendon Ponds in the 1990s.         one on 22-27 January 1992 (Clarridge, mob) (GOS, March 1992);         one on 10-19 January (Davids, C. Cass, D. Tetlow) and 25 February 1993 (C. Cass) (LG, February 1993; GOS, April 1993);         one on 6-9 January 1994 (McKinney, mob) (GOS, March 1994);         one on 9 January 1995 (D. Tetlow, D. and D. Traver) (GOS, March 1995);         two on 30 January 1998 (D. Tetlow) (GOS, March 1998);        two on 3 February 2001 (D. Tetlow, Davids) (GOS, April 2001);         one on 1 January 2002 (D. Tetlow, J. Barry) (GOS, February 2002); and         two on 17 January 2006 (Davids, D. Tetlow) (LG, March 2006)        one on 8 February 1996 (C. Cass) was at Brighton. (GOS, April 1996)

Common Gallinule

(formerly Florida, Common Moorhen)Gallinula galeata
Long-time bird columnist John Brown occasionally received calls and letters from people asking about the identity of this strange-looking bird.“When seen for the first time,” he noted, “these odd birds (Common Moorhens) invariably cause excited comment. One inexperienced but careful observer telephoned recently to inquire about the identity of a ‘dark bird in the marsh like a chicken with a red topknot.’” (BA, 14 June 1956)During a canoe ride around Braddock Bay and its contributing creeks in July 1976, Brown observed these birds “clucking sharply as they skulked through the edges of the cattails, the black adults with their brilliant red bills and frontal plates and their half grown young. Often in the distance you could see them feeding in the open, the young skittering on their big feet across matted surface vegetation.” (BA, 28 July 1976)“Two mother gallinules with at least eight little black babies dabbling around in a little open water area in Ling Road swamp was certainly one of the highlights of the week,” Edson reported in July 1951. “They had gotten beyond the downy chick stage with its silvery beard and had reached the stage where no one could doubt that they were mama’s babies in coloration, formation and action. They were fast learning what to eat and what to leave alone. It was also very evident that they were obeying their mother’s orders without question – even though, at times, we could not detect how those orders were given.” (WBR, 2 July 1951)Unfortunately, the opportunities for new birders to make “excited comments” about this species, and to enjoy the antics of newly fledged chicks, are harder to come by these days. There has been an alarming decrease in this bird’s breeding presence along the west lakeshore for reasons that are not clear.
Background
In Hawaiian mythology, a moorhen brought fire to humankind, and in the process ended up with a forehead scorched red. This rail, which breeds across much of the globe, is closely associated with marshes, ponds, canals, ditches and rice fields; in some regions, they even use altered, artificial, agricultural or urban habitats during the breeding and nonbreeding seasons, such as zoo ponds, reservoirs, sewage settling ponds and ornamental ponds. Submerged and floating vegetation is important, however. Nests are often placed on top of bent-over, damaged or dead cattails within 1 m of water. On this continent, it breeds across much of the eastern U.S., locally in the west, and south through Mexico into South America. Populations are difficult to survey, given this species’ secretive nature. Though BBS data shows slightly increasing overall populations for 1966-1999, significant declines were registered for Ontario, Wisconsin, the Great Lakes Plains and the south Texas bushlands. (BNA 685: 1-2, 13, 19-21)
Local history
Eaton (1910) wrote that this species reached its greatest abundance in New York state in the Montezuma marshes, where “hundreds of broods are annually reared, the greater portion of which are destroyed by gunners at the beginning of the shooting season.” He listed this as a fairly common summer resident in Monroe and Wayne counties with no indication of occurrence in Livingston. (Eaton I: 285, county charts) R. E. Horsey, in his listing of birds seen at Rochester and Monroe County from 1913 to 1936, indicated average counts of one to four birds, with a maximum count of 50, on dates ranging from 27 April to 14 October.Leo Tanghe, in his 1953 listing of breeding birds in the Rochester area, considered this an abundant nester at places like Irondequoit Bay and the Ling Road marshes. (GOS, May/August 1953) At least seven families were tallied at the Collamer Pond south of the parkway by Walt Listman in 1966. (BA, 4 August 1966) Indeed, this species was reported to be in “excellent supply” everywhere in 1970 (KB 20:187), followed by a “minor population explosion” in 1973. (KB23: 195)Not anymore.
Status
Monroe County annotated list (1985) described this as a regular, common summer resident and an occasional, rare winter visitant. More recently, however, this species has been extremely scarce and may, indeed, be nearing extirpation in many traditional nesting areas along the lakeshore.ivingston County, Fox (1998) considered this a casual very rare winter visitant and a (presumably regular) uncommon local summer resident.
Occurrence
Spring: The Monroe County annotated list (1985) indicated a range of arrival dates from 3 April to 9 May, with a mid range, or “normal arrival time” of 12 to 24 April. One on 4 March 2000 (R. and S. Spahn) at Mendon Ponds was even earlier, but was not considered a “first of spring” arrival. (GNR)
Summer/breeding status: Richard O’Hara marveled at the swarms of Florida Gallinule (now Common Gallinule) that appeared near the Float Bridge on Irondequoit Bay in late summer and fall of 1949. “Judging from the number . . . always in sight, this year’s crop of that bird in the Irondequoit Bay area alone must have reached an astronomical figure.” (GOS, August-October 1949)Ditto in 1970. “Gallinules are in excellent supply everywhere,” O’Hara reported. (KB20: 187) “Many young birds” were in evidence the following year as well. (KB22: 29)However, as with Pied-billed Grebe, there has been an alarming decline in this marsh bird’s breeding status here. “Common Moorhens, or gallinules, have always been a vocal and noticeable species in area marshes. Not so this spring!” Frank Dobson noted in 1989. (Birds, 2 July 1989) He speculated that rising lake and pond levels that year may have wiped out nests before young birds could fledge. In 2001 William Symonds, statistics chairman of the Rochester Birding Association, noted that “numbers are dropping at an alarming rate.” (LG, September 2001) Two years later he observed that it was “nearly non-existent” in lakeshore marshes, and wondered if the species was being pushed out by intolerant Mute Swans. (LG, September 2003) The BBA projects provide ample evidence of this decline. As with the rails, there was a marked decrease in blocks with evidence of breeding in western Monroe, eastern Orleans and eastern Genesee counties by the second project. And confirmations of breeding were harder to obtain in lakefront marshes.

Where still found breeding, families traditionally emerge on marshes mid to late summer. Fox says likely breeding spots also include the south ends of Conesus and Hemlock Lakes. (Fox, p. 45) Fall: The Monroe County annotated list (1985) indicated a range of departure dates from 10 September to 14 November (1980), with a mid range, or “normal departure time” of 29 September to 24 October. Subsequently, one on 27 November 1987 (C. Cass, Davids) at Salmon Creek was even later. (GOS, January 1988) Note winter occurrences as well below.
Fall maxima: 30+ on 10 September 1989 (Reinhardt) west lakeshore. (GOS, December 1989) 50 on 25 September 1969 (Listman) at Braddock Bay. (GNR)
Winter: Walt Listman was a master at tracking down rare winter lingerers. Sightings included one on 23 December 1951 (Miller) at Tryon Park (GOS, June/December 1951); on 15 January 1954 (Listman) at Russell Station (GOS, January-February 1954); on 28-29 December 1956 (Listman) at Round Pond (GNR); on 24 February 1957 (Listman) at Ling Road (GNR); on 21 December 1957 (Listman) at Ling Road (GOS, January-February 1958), and 15 January 1967 (T. Tetlow) at the Turning Basin on the Genesee River. (GOS, March 1967)Five in a marsh along the Genesee River on 31 December 1967 (T. Tetlow) was considered an “almost incredible number” for so late. (KB18: 94) Another on 23 December 1972 (M. and T. Tetlow) was at Buck Pond. (GOS, February 1973)However, Region 2 Kingbird reports mention January or early February sightings of this species in only four of 30 years from 1976 to 2005. In 1993, Mike Davids and Dave Tetlow found one on 2 January at Irondequoit and another on 10 January at Mendon Ponds. (LG, February 1993) Another on 17, 23 January 1998 (D. Tetlow) was at Caledonia (LG, March 1998), and one 27 January 2002 (Davids, D. Tetlow) was at Mendon Ponds. (LG, March 2002)

American Coot

Fulica americana
“When in our waters the coots are usually silent birds, but sometimes utter a low kluck, and when gathered in numbers they engage in a confused gabbling and clattering,” Eaton (1910) noted. (Eaton, I: 287-288) “When rising from the water they patter for a long distance on its surface until they have gained sufficient momentum to launch themselves in the air, when they fly off at a low elevation with legs stretched backward very much in the manner of rails and gallinules.” At first it is hard to reconcile the fact that this species is a member of the rail family, so shy and elusive are true rails. Coots, on the other hand, are the most aquatic members of the family, and are very visible, especially when they congregate in large flocks on ponds, bays and lakes in fall and winter. Though this species has a very limited breeding presence in our region, winter numbers have greatly increased.
Background
This is the most abundant and widely distributed member of the rail family in North America, building multiple nesting, brooding and display platforms in freshwater marshes from the St. Lawrence and Great Lakes regions across much of central and western Canada, through the western U.S. into Mexico, Central and South America. Breeding populations of these boisterous, often quarrelsome birds also occur in Florida and along the Gulf Coast, and in the Caribbean. Heaviest concentrations are in the Prairie Pothole region of southern Canada and north central U.S. Huge rafts numbering in the thousands gather in winter on inland reservoirs and other large bodies of water. Migration patterns are complex, and it is not clear in some areas if wintering birds are permanent residents or “are winter migrants from breeding areas farther north that are replaced in spring by coots that had wintered farther south.” Formerly one of the most abundant waterfowl in North America. Overhunting and loss of wetlands in the Midwest and eastern Canada caused significant reductions in the late 1800s through mid 1900s. Populations have since stabilized, even increased in some areas, and it has apparently expanded its breeding range westward into British Columbia and Alaska. U.S./Canadian breeding population estimated at 3 million in 1999. (BNA 697: 1, 4, 5, 18-20, 27)
Local history
Even in Eaton’s time, migrants were more common in fall than spring. He listed this as a common transient visitor in Monroe and Wayne counties, uncommon in Livingston, and indicated it had nested on occasion in Wayne. (Eaton I: 286, county charts) R. E. Horsey, in his listing of birds seen at Rochester and Monroe County from 1913 to 1936, indicated average counts of one to 20 birds, with a maximum count of 100, on dates ranging from 9 March to 27 November. However, he also alludes to “one all year 1936.”When Leo Tanghe looked at 1,665 outings by Genesee Ornithological Society members within a 50-mile radius of Rochester from 1951-1954, he found American Coot reported 298 times, primarily in spring and fall, with average counts of 50-70 at the end of October. Only one record in June and July; 20 in January and February when average counts were 10-20. Note that at least some of these sightings may have occurred at Montezuma and Oak Orchard, just outside the current boundaries of Region 2. (KB 69: 5: 2A-2B)He listed only Montezuma as a breeding location in 1953. (GOS, May/August 1953)

Status Monroe County annotated list (1985) described this as a regular, fairly common spring transient; a sporadic, uncommon summer resident; a regular, common fall transient and an irregular, uncommon to fairly common winter visitant.Livingston County, Fox (1998) considered this regular very common winter visitant, a regular common spring transient, a (presumably irregular) rare local summer visitant and resident and a regular common to very common fall transient.
Occurrence
Spring: The Monroe County annotated list (1985) indicated a range of arrival dates from 5 March to 1 May, with a mid range, or “normal arrival time” of 18 March to 7 April. In most years had departed by 30 May, with a late departure date of 8 June.
Spring maxima: 100 on 9 April 1978 (F. and R. Dobson) west lakeshore. (GNR)
Maximum spring count at Conesus Lake is sixty. (Fox, p. 45)
Summer/breeding status: Though primarily a migrant and winter visitor here, this lobe-toed marsh rail also nests in New York wildlife refuges and at other scattered locations. Bull (1974) said they were common breeders only at Montezuma and Jamaica Bay Refuge (p. 224), but also listed Braddock Bay, a site near Albion, and Lake LeRoy, Wyoming County. A Genesee Ornithological Society hike found nine on 17 August 1958 at Braddock Bay. (GNR) An adult and three young were seen there (Foster, mob) on 21 August 1960. (KB10: 180) Though this species has an extremely limited breeding presence in our region, the second BBA project came up with evidence of breeding at clusters of blocks at Sodus Bay, the Montezuma wetlands complex and at lakefront bays and ponds in Monroe County west of the river.

Fall: The Monroe County annotated list (1985) indicated a range of arrival dates from 4 August to 5 October, with a mid range, or “normal arrival time” of 21 August to 20 September. In most years had departed by 26 November, with a late departure date of 11 December.Large numbers build on the region’s bays and larger lakes in fall.
Fall maxima: 420 on 24-31 October 1998 (K. Fox, Kimball) at Conesus Lake. (LG, December 1998) 350 on 27 October 1999 (R. Rosche) Silver Lake. (GNR) 600 on 2 November 1980 (F. Davis) at Sodus Bay. (GOS, January 1981) 400 on 4 November 2006 (R. Spahn) at Irondequoit Bay. (LG, January 2007) 440 on 7 November 1991 (C. Cass, D. Traver) at Irondequoit Bay. (GOS, January 1992) 420 on 14 November 1995 (Marcotte) on the north part of Irondequoit Bay. (GOS, January 1996) 1,000 on 25 November 1970 (Listman) at Conesus Lake. (GNR) 500 on 27 November 1994 (C. Cass) at Sodus Bay. (LG, December 1994) 800 on 29 November 1998 (K. and J. Fox) at Conesus Lake. (LG, January 1999) Winter: Edson, in January 1937, noted that a single bird had “drifted into the East Lake at Durand-Eastman Park. . . Four years ago one remained around the mouth of the Genesee River all winter and a year or two previously one remained in the swamp north of Float Bridge.” (WBR, 18 January 1937)500 at Conesus Lake on 25 December 1971 (Listman) prompted O’Hara to comment on an apparent “population explosion.” (KB 22:86)An indication of this species increase in winter is found in January Waterfowl Count data for this region. During the first 10 years of the count, from 1955 to 1964, this species was recorded only twice – 30 the first year and five the third. Average tally from 1975 to 2004 was 152.8, but numbers increased tenfold during the last decade of that period.

Other winter maxima: 600 on 14, 18 December 1997 (K. Fox) at Conesus Lake. (LG, February 1998) 651 on 18 December 1994 (mob) in the Rochester CBC circle. (GOS, February 1995) 520 on 20 December 2006 (R. Spahn) at Irondequoit Bay. (LG, February 2007) 1,000 on 28 December 1975 (mob) at Conesus Lake. (LG, January 1976) 635 on 11 January 1998 (K. Fox) at Conesus Lake (LG, March 1998) 780 on 13 January 2007 (Boettcher, R. Spahn) Irondequoit Bay. (LG, March 2007) 1,000 on 2 February 1998 (R. Beason) at Conesus Lake. (LG, April 1998)

Purple Gallinule

Porphyrio martinica
The “collecting” of a bird never before seen in our region was done in novel fashion on 4 October 1970. Robert Estes, driving along Maxwell Station Road that morning near Scottsville, came across a “small shape, huddled by the roadside” that appeared to be paralyzed by the cold. He picked the bird up, took it home and put it in a bath tub. Neither Estes, nor a friend and neighbor, could figure out what it was, so they called John Brown, the Times-Union bird columnist, who lived at Scottsville. “I was tired, but this seemed something special,” Brown related in his column. (BA, 15 October 1970) He knew Estes was an avid sportsman and a “keen observer of the wildlife in this area.” So, “if he had found something entirely new to him, I wanted to see it.” Brown, too, was initially confounded. All the markings suggested an immature Purple Gallinule, a species normally confined to the southeast U.S. What would an immature be doing wandering around western New York in the fall?Brown wanted a second opinion. He took it to Jerry Czech, assistant curator of natural history at the Rochester Museum & Science Center, who consulted more books, and came to the same conclusion: Region 2 had its first Purple Gallinule. Czech then took it home, “force fed it and then got it eating by itself” and eventually turned the revitalized gallinule over to the Seneca Park Zoo.
Background
Our most colorful rail is “among the most gaudy breeding birds in North America,” notes the profile of this species in The Birds of North America series, inhabiting freshwater wetlands in the southern U.S., south into Mexico and Central and South America. It has also proved one of the most adaptable, “thriving in rice paddies and in human-made impoundments on plantations and wildlife refuges. It readily accepts weedy conditions brought on by eutrophication and feeds on exotic weeds such as water hyacinth and hydrilla . … Highly prone to vagrancy, individuals have been recorded from Labrador to South Georgia and from Switzerland to the Galapagos. This vagrancy trait may make it an effective pioneer to new wetlands as far north as Illinois.” (BNA 626: 1)
Status
A sporadic, very rare vagrant.
Occurrence
1. An immature on 4 October 1970 (Estes, Brown, Cooper) picked up from a roadside near Scottsville just inside Livingston County. (KB 21:15) 2. An immature on 11-12 October 1998 (J. Sullivan) found at the south end of Irondequoit Bay. It was relocated and photographed the next day. (KB 49: 45,48; LG, December 1998) Accepted by NYSARC. (KB 51: 484) 3. An adult 24 January 2006 found dead at Webster Park by park personnel, photographed, and given to Cornell University. (LG March 2006)

Yellow Rail

Coturnicops noveboracensis
The “flat-topped nest . . . found on a hummock surrounded with water” in a small marsh near Marion, Wayne County, in June 1935 was at first was thought to be a meadowlark’s nest. However, “further search revealed this small marsh bird (Yellow Rail) and the identity of the nest, eggs and bird was established,” Edson noted. It was quite possibly the most startling nest reported in our region in the last century. Edson thought it was possible this species “has been overlooked as small marshes of the type in which this bird was found are seldom investigated by bird students.” (WBR, 1 July 1935) These birds, it is suggested, “certainly pass through our region annually.” (GOS, December 1986)Perhaps. Nonetheless, the 1935 nesting was the last sighting of any kind involving this species in our region.
Background
Tiny, secretive denizen of damp grassy areas to our north is “as hard to see as mice.” (Sibley, p. 155) This secretive bird has been likened more to a mammal than a bird, slipping “silently through the grasses like a phantom, barely keeping out of the way of one’s feet. The observer may be within inches of the birds and yet never catch a glimpse of them.” No wonder it is hard to assess its relative abundance. It is widely distributed in Canada and the northernmost tier of the United States, mainly east of the Rockies, but is quite local, inhabiting fresh and brackish marshes, especially the drier margins. Breeding populations appear to fluctuate with water levels. Loss of wetlands is the prime threat to this species. (BNA 139: 1, 9-10)
Local history
The “nearest approach to a breeding record” that Eaton could find for New York state was a specimen in the state museum labeled “Braddock’s Bay, June, 1880.” (Eaton I: 280) In his 1910 charts of occurrence, he lists it as an uncommon transient and rare summer resident in Monroe County, with no indication of occurrence in Livingston or Wayne. However, Neil Posson, writing on “Some Birds of Unusual Occurrence in Orleans County, NY,” in 1899, noted that two had been taken as specimens near Murray on 21 April 1894, “and another the following year at about the same time.” (Auk 16: 194) R. E. Horsey, in his listing of birds seen at Rochester and Monroe County from 1913 to 1936, indicated a single record, on 27 August 1917.
Status
Monroe County annotated list (1985) described this as a casual, very rare visitant. Occurrence 
The Monroe County annotated list shows only four records; June 1880; 23 September 1911; 27 August 1917, and 8 October 1921. Add the two records from Orleans and the Marion nest, and that is only about seven records.The nest near Marion in 1935 contained twelve eggs. (WBR, 1 July 1935)

Black Rail*

Laterallus jamaicensis
“The Black rail is even more difficult to flush and more mysterious in habits than the Yellow rail,” Eaton (1910) wrote. (Eaton I: 282) Small size and secretive habits make this “one of the most elusive” of all species. (Andrle, p. 134)
Background
The smallest rail in North America occupies tidal marshes and freshwater wetlands throughout the Americas, but is so secretive in its habits and sporadic in its distribution that much remains to be learned about its life history. Known to breed along parts of the Atlantic, Gulf and California coasts, and rarely and locally inland from Colorado, Kansas and Oklahoma to Minnesota, Michigan and east to Connecticut, “but few breeding records from the last 50 yr and few sites occupied consistently.” Generally reluctant to fly, running swiftly and quickly on the ground, “probably uses runways of meadow mice as travel lanes in dense vegetation . . . Because it prefers shallow-water environments, the Black Rail faces numerous threats to its habitat, especially the ditching and draining of marshes and, in the western U.S., agricultural demands on water resources,” notes the profile of this species in the The Birds of North America series. “Nearly all U.S. populations appear to have declined drastically in this century (20th), and have only recently stabilized with the enactment of laws protecting wetlands in the last 25 years.” (BNA 123: 1-2, 7)
Local history
It had been seen “at close range” near Brockport in 1892, and on two occasions at Lake Ontario in Monroe County, Eaton noted. There have been no Monroe County records since 1941 (AL, p. 25), when this species was reported at Little Black Creek in June. (Goshawk, November 1947) However, Bull contended there were no satisfactory records, “dead or alive” for this species in New York other than on Long Island. (Bull, p. 222) “Needless to state, the downy black young of both the Virginia Rail and Sora Rail are frequently misidentified as Black Rails by inexperienced observers . . .”
Status
Monroe County annotated list (1985) described this as a casual, very rare visitant.
Occurrence The Monroe County annotated list shows only two records: October 1892 and 24 June 1941. Even assuming Eaton’s references to the two Lake Ontario records are accurate, this would be no more than four records for our region.

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