[EBB Sightings] FW: Calling Black Rail at Coyote Hills RP

On Tue, 10 Mar 2009 10:35:08 -0700 (PDT), Bob Power 
wrote:

> I stopped in my tracks and
>> listened to the kik-kik-grrrr vocalizations, given
>> repeatedly and emphatically for about 15 minutes, from
>> ~7-7:15 am. 

Although this vocalization may be given by a Black Rail, this description
sounds more like the famous "kicker" of "Ornithological Mystery." 

http://elibrary.unm.edu/sora/Auk/v018n04/p0321-p0328.pdf

This type of "song" can be from a number of species of rails, most notably
the Virginia Rail, but apparently under unusual circumstances.  For details
see:

Manolis, T. 1981. The ?kicker? song?New synthesis of an old mystery.
American Birds 35:261?263. 

-- 
Joseph Morlan, Pacifica, CA        jmorlan (at) ccsf.edu 
SF Birding Classes start Mar 24    http://fog.ccsf.edu/~jmorlan/
California Bird Records Committee  http://www.californiabirds.org/
Western Field Ornithologists       http://www.westernfieldornithologists.org/