Rails and Coots

American Coots - Frank Lake, AB I always felt the rail family had the most unusual chicks, like these American Coots. Several of them are brightly colored and have the oddest legs as is the case of the Purple Gallinule Chick. The little red helmets are actually their skull and the orange and yellow feather boa will eventually get covered by the black silky feathers of an adult. This parent was attentive and picking out the most tender piece of plant for the chicks to eat just of the inflow into Frank Lake. Michael W Klotz 2019 - www.TheBirdBlogger.com
American Coots - Frank Lake, AB
Ridgeway's Rail - Huntington Beach, CA Its a lifer! Second one for the California leg of the trip with the first being a rufous-capped sparrow in Silverado. I was very happy to see my target bird marching down the shoreline towards me on low tide hunting the beach for whatever it was hunting for. He spent a little time under the boardwalk but quickly emerged and headed west in to the vegetation, not to be seen again that afternoon. This species used to be lumped into the same species as the Clapper Rail but the Ridgway's Rail and Mangrove Rail were split off in 2013. Michael W Klotz - www.TheBirdBlogger.com
Ridgeway's Rail - Huntington Beach, CA
Common Gallinule - Selva Negra, Nicaragua Working the large lilly pads in the pond at Selva Negra, this parent was looking for breakfast for her young. If you came too close, a call went out to the babies picking their way though the floating leaves to move away from the perceived danger and into the water. These water fowl are found in most of Central America and a good portion of South America. As many of the folks in the east and south can also vouch, they are a summer resident of the eastern United States and southern most regions of eastern Canada and hang out year round in the southern states Michael W Klotz - www.TheBirdBlogger.com
Common Gallinule - Selva Negra, Nicaragua