Virginia Rail

Long legs and a narrow body allow the secretive Virginia Rail to squeeze through even
the densest vegetation of marshes and sloughs. In fact, it is so cryptic and well-
camouflaged in its environment that birders are rarely treated to the sight of it. Those
who are fortunate enough to encounter it, however, may comment that it looks Ike
a strange cross between a small heron and a sandpiper. Your best chance of spotting a
Virginia Rail is along shoreline vegetation of the George C. Reifel Migratory Bird
Sanctuary. It is also common at Burnaby Lake and Deas Slough. Sometimes, if you clap
your hands quickly three times in a row, it will respond with its descending wak-wak-
wak call.
The Virginia Rail builds a raised nest on water in dense vegetation using cattails, bul-
rushes and sedges as nesting materials. If there is sufficient cover, it may also build a
protective roof and a "runway."

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