Chasing the Spotted Rail at Choke Canyon State Park

Let's rewind to December 29, 2020. I finally have an opportunity to chase the Spotted Rail at Choke Canyon State Park. But there was an issue, the weather was supposed to be awful. Do I risk it or do I stay put? A 5.5 hour drive in the dark and rain seemed like a bad idea, so I stayed in Dallas. And I am very thankful for that. I had a really bad feeling leading up to the trip, and my gut was right. It was cold and rainy all day, and driving home from work (at the same time I would have been on the road) I got a flat tire that I would not have wanted to deal with on a rural road at night.

Fast forward to January 16, 2021. I'm moved in to my condo, my car has new wheels, it's a long weekend, and the weather could not be better. Let's get on the road!

"Why?" - most non-birders when I tell them what I'm doing. "5.5 hours? For a bird? That doesn't seem worth it." Of course, they're incorrect with that statement. It isn't just a bird, this is a Spotted Rail we're talking about. An ABA code 5 rarity, this would be the rarest bird I've seen in North America (although strangely not the rarest bird to Texas with the White Wagtail being a first state record). This is the 4th ABA record of the bird and the 3rd Texas record, although the first chaseable record of this bird. The first two specimens were dead birds found in Pennsylvania and Brown County, TX and the third was a Houston area record that was turned into a wildlife rehabber and never seen again. 

Spotted Rail

Rails are an interesting family of birds. American Coots and Common and Purple Gallinules are related and are the most likely to be seen, but I have also had solid luck with Sora and Clapper Rail. They are notoriously hard to see due to their habitat and habits. They live in marshy areas and love to hide, so good luck seeing them. It's my understanding that the ABA allowed counting heard-only birds partially to stop people front tramping over habitat of Black and Yellow Rail. Little is known about them due to their elusive nature, but it is known that Veracruz, Mexico and Cuba are about as far north as the bird gets. But rails are known to wander hundreds of miles away from their normal range.

Long story short, the odds of another one turning up are very low, so you better better not waste the chance to see one. 

Vermillion Flycatcher

After a night of staying with friend of the blog Anthony, I woke up early to make the remaining 2.5 hour drive to Choke Canyon. The weather was perfect and I knew it was going to be a good day from the moment I entered the park. This is on the far north end of the range of south Texas specialty birds, so within seconds I had a Great Kiskadee and Long-billed Thrasher. Upon parking I had great looks at a Vermillion Flycatcher and Green Jays were squawking in the trees behind me. Let's do this.

Yellow-rumped Warbler

There wasn't much to do, within seconds of walking up I had views of the Spotted Rail running between clumps of cattails! Getting a picture was very difficult, as the rail was usually visible for just a few seconds at a time. Those few seconds were outstanding, though. Whoever found this bird deserves heaps of praise because it could be so hard to find. They walk very low to the ground, and we couldn't even see it move. But eventually we got excellent looks at it, and the light was perfect to allow for outstanding views with no shadows.

One of the few times it was cooperative

After an hour of admiring the bird it was time to look for others. Although I would not see them, Hook-billed Kite, Long-tailed Duck, Black-throated Gray Warbler, and Anna's Hummingbird had also been reported, as well as a host of other birds that I rarely get to see.

My walk down Hawk Alley was extremely productive. Audubon's Oriole and Verdin were highlights, but they didn't steal the show. That spot was deserved for Common Paraque, and this was the first time I saw one without having someone point it out! I'm cheating because I saw briefly in flight, but (shocker) I couldn't relocate it when it settled down. A calling Dickcissel was unusual and out of season. 

Common Paraque taken at Estero Llano Grade State Park

I returned to 75 Acre Lake to scan for the Long-tailed Duck and Hook-billed Kite, but neither materialized, although Sora and Cinnamon Teal were nice consolations. By now I was running out of time, and I still had about 6 hours between me and Dallas. I made one pass at the Black-throated Gray warbler spot and came up empty, but I did get an Olive Sparrow that was very cooperative.

Say's Phoebe

By now it was 1:00, I had to go. But I can safely say I will be back. Choke Canyon's Calliham unit is very small, but it packs an insane birding punch and rare birds frequently turn up here. I was there 4.5 hours and didn't even bird the whole park and I had 70 species. You better believe celebratory Czech Stop was consumed on my way home.