Talking about rails and crakes
THIS one of the biggest and most diverse families of birds in the world, and is represented in every continent – some species occurring in more than one of them.
They range from the very familiar to the almost invisible. In the former category, you will certainly be familiar with moorhens and coots, neither of which make any attempt at concealment, and if you visit wetlands hereabouts you will almost certainly see the ‘big blue chicken’ that is the purple swamp-hen – apparently domesticated in ancient times, and still fairly easy to see.
Almost equally common, but frustratingly ‘invisible’ is the water rail, frequently heard calling ‘like a stuck pig’ from reed-beds, but seldom seen.
Before the advent of mechanized agriculture, the corncrake, or land rail must have been a common resident. Its name gives rise to the saying ‘as thin as a rail’ due to its ability to move through a cane-brake without
disturbing a stalk – its ‘crake’ call the sole giveaway.
Now restricted to areas of primitive agriculture, like the far northwest of Scotland, it is known in Spain only as a rare migrant, but is commoner in the east, in the marshy areas of Poland and the Baltic States.
Three smaller crakes are also to be found in Europe.
The widespread spotted crake is found sporadically in our area – some years being reasonably numerous, though, like others of its family, difficult to see.
Even harder to find are the two smallest of the family, the little and Baillon’s crakes.
Both of these, like the spotted crake, are much commoner as you go further east, and have only a rather spotty distribution in Spain.
In recent months a little crake has appeared on the Clot de Galvany, and has offered surprisingly good views – for such a shy species – in the last week, as I write.
You will require patience! As it happens, another rare species, the red-knobbed coot, which has a mainly African distribution, but is represented in Europe by just a few pairs in southern Spain, has been introduced to the Clot – by human agency.
This enables people to see one at close quarters. (They also breed at the Hondo visitor centre, San Felipe de Neri).