A while back, the status of King Rail generated a lot of discussion on this list serve. In an effort to work toward a harmoneous resolution to some of that dissent, I suggested we (birders) do an organized search for this species to help identify how common or uncommon it is. It was/is my intent to provide both a survey protocol and recording document to accomplish this task.
I wanted to review the two primary existing marsh bird survey methods prior to establishing our search protocol. Unfortunately, this process took longer than I expected. After evaluating the time frame needed to create documents and disseminate information, I decided it could not be done in a satisfactory manner this spring/summer. Therefore, in the short term, I encourage all birders who are actively looking for King Rail to record the time they spend doing so and the location of their search. Please e-mail this information to me in a timely manner. Of course, should anyone actually encounter this species, they should share their findings with the entire birding community, provided it does not compromise the well being of the bird/s. Also, ALL SIGHTINGS SHOULD BE EXTREMELY WELL DOCUMENTED with photographs, audio recordings, sketches or confirmation by other birders. You will hear more about the King Rail search protocol later, when some things get ironed out. I thank everyone for their patience. Randy Frederickson
