Virginia Rail Still Around

POWERSALEX@aol.com
Sun, 2 Aug 1998 17:48:45 EDT


Hi  MDOspreyers --

This is my first post to MDOsprey after much lurking and enjoying:  

My wife invited me to go along with her this afternoon while she went to see
the Tibetan Art of Healing exhibit at the Sackler Gallery, so we could also
see the Virginia Rail. 

While she and our son were watching a Sand Mandala being made by Tibetan
monks, I went toward the National Museum of African Art in the Enid Haupt
Garden (on the path just inside the Independence Avenue gate).  The Virginia
Rail (Rallus limicola) was sunning itself on the grass to the left of the NMAA
entrance at 2:40 pm.  I watched it for 10 minutes at about 20 feet.

It is as everyone has already described:  adult, gray cheeks, distinct
eyebrows with the foremost part appearing white, chestnut chest and wing
patch, bill and legs orangish, black and white barred flanks, and white under
the tail that was pumping continuously.

It did hold its left wing higher than the right as previously noted, but I did
not observe any disability as it ran around to avoid close-in pedestrians.  It
was feeding in the mulch and all around the bushes surrounding the small
utility building near the NMAA building.  I followed it around to the north of
the NMAA where it roamed over the grass and under the hostas.

All together we (our 8 year old son declared it "beautiful") watched it off
and on from 2:40 to 4:05 pm. when we were too tired from the sun to keep up
the vigil.  

Thanks for the explicit directions and the alert!

Jack Powers
Alexandria, VA 
powersalex@aol.com