At around 4:10 this morning, I heard the vocalization of a YELLOW RAIL at Peter Scott Swamp in the town of Schroeppel, Oswego County. The vocalization was faint, but distinct; tic-tic, tic-tic-tic; tic-tic, tic-tic-tic, continuous in the 2-3 pattern.
When I first heard it, I quickly dismissed it as a mis-interpretation of something else. But then I heard it again, and then again. In that same distinct pattern. I heard 6 vocalizations of 3-4 verses of the pattern in a span of 15 minutes, and then the rail went quiet. So I picked up 2 rocks and tapped them together to see if I could get the bird to respond. I immediately heard some whines and chirps that could have been interpreted as an agitated animal, but I know of no other vocalization for Yellow Rail except for the 2-3 tapping pattern. After 20 minutes of waiting I heard the 2-3 tapping pattern again. Then quiet, then 2 more verses. But that was the last I would hear of it. That was around 4:50 AM or so. The area where I heard the bird is on Peter Scott Rd (some maps label it Swamp Rd, or Peter Scott Swamp Rd) 0.4 miles north of County Route 12 (Phoenix-Caughdenoy Rd) in the town of Schroeppel. The bird was calling from the west side of the road, in an area that looks more like a wet field than a swamp or marsh. Understanding the rarity of this report, I have been wracking my brain to figure out what else I could have been hearing, if not a Yellow Rail. There were several Virginia Rails calling south of this area where there is more water, but the kid-dick, kid-dick if the VIRA is also distinct and was easily contrasted with the tic-tic, tic-tic-tic call I was hearing. Two years ago, at least one King Rail spent some time here, but again - that was south of the area from where this bird was calling. Anyway, the King Rail's tapping is more of a repeated tap-tap-tap at regular intervals, and not in a 2-3 pattern. The Clapper Rail tap is more similar to the King Rail, but this is not a salt water habitat. I would be interested in hearing anyone's thoughts, opinions, etc., on any other possibilities other than Yellow Rail that this bird could be. Other than that, best of luck to anyone who tries to hear this bird. The weather over the next few days may be less than ideal for migration, so hopefully it will stick around for a bit. Mickey Mickey Scilingo Constantia Oswego County, NY mickey.scili...@gte.net 315-679-6299 -- Cayugabirds-L List Info: http://www.NortheastBirding.com/CayugabirdsWELCOME http://www.NortheastBirding.com/CayugabirdsRULES http://www.NortheastBirding.com/CayugabirdsSubscribeConfigurationLeave.htm ARCHIVES: 1) http://www.mail-archive.com/cayugabirds-l@cornell.edu/maillist.html 2) http://www.surfbirds.com/birdingmail/Group/Cayugabirds 3) http://birdingonthe.net/mailinglists/CAYU.html Please submit your observations to eBird: http://ebird.org/content/ebird/ --
