I was curious what others thought about Virginia Rails being able to
squeeze through the mesh of a chain link fence. Today I walked part of
Spencer Island and on my return trip on the road to the parking lot, a
Virgina Rail dashed across the road in front of me. It disappeared in
the scruffy and sparse vegetation along the fence line and I was sure if
I walked over there the Rail would be forced to come back out to find
another escape route. Instead I found no bird and no way he could have
gotten on the other side of the fence except to go through the mesh. How
small of a hole do you think a Virginia Rail can get through?

Also of note on Spencer Island today. A RED-NECKED PHALAROPE swimming
with ducks North of the Cross Dike, An AMERICAN PIPIT on the Cross
Dike, 12 winter plumaged DUNLIN South of the Cross Dike, a female
AMERICAN KESTREL circling above, 2 COMMON SNIPE South of the Cross Dike,
a RED-BREASTED SAPSUCKER on the East side of the Island, 3 LINCOLNS
SPARROWS near the barn.

A full list of species seen follows:

Pied-billed Grebe
Great Blue Heron
Green Heron (2)
Canada Geese
Mallard
Northern Pintail
Northern Shoveler
American Wigeon
Bufflehead
Ruddy Duck
Osprey
Northern Harrier (2)
Red-tailed Hawk (1)
American Kestrel (1 female)
Peregrin Falcon (1)
Virginia Rail (1 seen, others heard)
Sora (Heard)
Killdeer (3)
Dunlin (12)
Common Snipe (2)
Red-necked Phalarope (1)
Ring-billed Gull
Glaucous-winged Gull
Band-tailed Pigeon (1)
Vaux's Swift (6 to 8)
Belted Kingfisher (2, one for sure male)
Red-breasted Sapsucker
Downy Woodpecker
Northern Flicker
Willow Flycatcher
Barn Swallow
Steller's Jay
American Crow
Black-capped Chickadee
Bewick's Wren
Marsh Wren
American Robin
American Pipit
Orange-crowned Warbler
Yellow-rumped Warbler
Common Yellowthroat
Western Tanager (6+ Some dull yellow, some a much brighter yellow with
dark wings but none with red heads)
Song Sparrow
Lincoln's Sparrow(3)
White-crowned Sparrow
Red-winged Blackbird
Cedar Waxwing
European Starling
House Finch
American Goldfinch

Yvonne Bombardier
ravenn at premier1.net