23 Aug, 2013 Author: gid
in time, they emerge Credit: Joe Murphy
If you choose to build a wildlife sanctuary, you should be prepared to be displaced – at least to occasionally - by wild things you are working to protect. In May, a redpoll chose to nest in a clematis vine that articulates the walkway between the carport and our house. Every time we went out or in, we displaced the nervous MaMa who otherwise did what MaMa birds do: sat on her nest, kept her eggs warm and waited. Displacing her made us feel terrible and over time we trained ourselves to enter and exit the house via other doors. At last, on June 5, while we were away, the young birds hatched. Thanks to Joe Murphy for this spectacular shot.
Last week, Alex Hackman, who directs our restoration effort, was walking the property and captured this photo. In an email thread, Mark Faherty wrote "Awesome! Its a Sora! (Porzana carolina), a small, elusive freshwater marsh bird that I have been hoping to find at Tidmarsh. We never heard them during any playback attempts or passive surveys, only Virginia Rails. Here’s some info from Mass Audubon's website on their breeding distribution in MA." Way to go Alex!
Its a Soro Credit: A. Hackman