Dennis Paulson:
>And, of course, one must add that the rails themselves are heron hors
>d'ouevres, especially the tiny ones such as Black and Yellow and chicks of
>the larger species.

A friend of mine got his "lifer" black rail, that way, down in the
East Palo Alto marsh.

As he put it, "the rail's feet were still kicking!"

Would you count it? (He's an awesome birder - as are all his fellow
Englishmen, from what I've seen - but listing isn't his #1 priority)

I got mine there in an equally strange way. I wasn't really looking
for one, just walking (I was down there working) in the late afternoon
at high tide. It was a very high tide, with water lapping right up
to a dike I was on, which was broad and kind of thick with vegetation.

I was right near the water and one burst into flight from almost between
my feet!

Startled me, but I got a pretty good look through my binoculars.

- Don Baccus, Portland OR <donb at rational.com>