Buff-banded Rail

This post is for World Bird Wednesday.

The other week a couple of friends told me that they had Buff-banded Rails (Gallirallus philippensis) which came and walked around their yard even when they were sitting out on their veranda and having morning or afternoon tea. I had seen and photographed a Rail a month or so ago but that one was quite a distance away and the photos were not very clear. So I was invited over for afternoon tea when the light was best and the Rail obligingly came out and walked around.

Buff-banded Rail

This post is for World Bird Wednesday

A couple of weeks ago (July 5) I posted about being invited to see some Bush Stone-Curlews - (which I should have called by their new name of Bush Thick-Knees! - thanks Tony!) - in a very beautiful and bird-friendly garden. Brian and Sue were kind enough to invite me a second time - this time to wait and see if we could see one of a pair of Buff-banded Rails (Rallus philippensis). Brian and Sue have a yard that backs onto public reserve land which runs along a creek. This land is not mowed so there is dense vegetation here. My birding books says that these birds prefer areas of rank grasses near water. Possibly this is where the birds live permanently but they frequently wander through the garden area as well. They had been walking through the garden at the edge of the tall grass just before I arrived and after waiting a bit one of the birds walked out into sight and then quickly ran along beside the tall grass and disappeared again. The only other views I have had of rails have been very brief and certainly not long enough to get a camera focused on them. Thanks again Brian and Sue!