[EBB Sightings] Re: [SFBirds] Re: Black Rail question

Jason,

Thanks for the response. I knew that they nested in the freshwater
wetlands of places like Grizzly Island, but was wondering about
Cordgrass/Salicornia/Saltgrass habitats of the tidal marshes. Calvin
Walters' response about Arrowhead Marsh in May was helpful.

I had them figured for seasonal behavior like Sora and Virginia Rail;
Freshwater habitats as a nesting bird (to include places like the
Petaluma River and Grizzly Island) and salt marsh birds in winter.

I have two atlas blocks on Grizzly Island and have heard many Black
Rails in the wet, grassy fringes of Cattail and Tule marshes. They're
quite vocal and are not hard to locate at dusk. I have never had this
experience in the tidal salt marshes of the Bay. But perhaps I need to
make more visits at dusk.

Thanks again,

     Rusty


> Rusty and SF birders,
> 
> With the caveat that Black Rail abundance and distribution is  
> obviously difficult to pin down, a picture is starting to emerge for 
> 
> Caliornia, based on research by PRBO as mentioned by Harry, and
> others.
> 
> While there appears to be at least some seasonal movement and  
> dispersal by Black Rails, they are basically residents in the San  
> Francisco Bay region. The population in the Sierra foothills was only
>  
> discovered, or at least first reported, in the 1990s.
> 
> PRBO's work has also found that Black Rails are more numerous than  
> previously thought. For example, Spautz et al. (2005) estimated that 
> 
> there were 27,000 Black Rails alone in San Pablo and Suisun Bay  
> marshes combined. Compare this to Small (1994; California Birds):
> "The  
> California population is probably fewer than 4000 (Ehrlich et al.  
> 1992)."
> 
> Jason Yakich
> 
> --- In SFBirds at yahoogroups.com, Rusty Scalf  wrote:
> 
> 
> There have been postings to Central Valley Birds about wintering
> Black
> Rails. For some reason, I always assumed the inland populations were
> migratory and that the birds in San Francisco Bay are wintering birds
> which nest in fresh water locations. Looks like a bad assumption.
> 
> The Birds of North American Online map shows Black Rails as being
> migratory in the East. The SF Bay population is colored Permanent
> Resident.
> 
> For nest sites:
> 
>    "Low, marshy meadows, dense freshwater marshes, and thick marsh
> vegetation near upper limits of high tides (Stephens 1909, Harlow
> 1913,
> WRE)."
> 
> So my questions: Has anyone seen or heard Black Rails in the Bay
> during
> summer?  Is it your impression that Black Rail is resident here and
> not
> just a wintering bird?
> 
>     Rusty Scalf
> 
> 



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