Water Rails

[vinnychameleon]

Hi guys. I was wondrin when I build my pond(it will be about 4x3 metres) if I plant sedges all around one edge of it(in the shallow muddy end) do you think I could get wintering water rails on it? as I know they frequent small bodies of water in winter.

[Oscar2006]

Originally Posted by vinnychameleon

Hi guys. I was wondrin when I build my pond(it will be about 4x3 metres) if I plant sedges all around one edge of it(in the shallow muddy end) do you think I could get wintering water rails on it? as I know they frequent small bodies of water in winter.

To be quite honest....no.
It isn't so much the small sized habitat that you are trying to create, but the lack of food for a water rail in it.
Rails will need lots of food to keep them satisfied during the winter period and your area of sedges would not hold a huge amount of food for one.

You will however get all sorts of other wildlife taking an interest in the pond.
Wait until you get dragonflies ovipositing on your water plants, water boatmen and pondskaters zipping around. More than enough to keep a WABber busy.

[GuyF]

Theres a very small chance that you might get one. I had a snipe turn up in a small marshy patch of sedge grass at the top of my field before. At some nature reserves water rails visit the feeding stations, I'm not exactly sure what they eat but you may be able to put some food out by your pond. It would probably have to be quite a cold snap so that feeding is difficult before they would arrive.
Good luck
Guy

[vinnychameleon]

What kind of things do they eat?

[colsworld]

Apparently they eat inverterbrates, seeds and plant material....good luck

[Oy]

Make sure you leave room so the Bitterns and Marsh Harriers don't disturb them

[Gill Catton]

I remember reading a post years ago by someone who had been sat in a hide at a reserve watching the bird feeders and a water rail ran out of the bushes and took a Dunnock! Most unexpected!!

[vinnychameleon]

Wow a Water rail eating a dunnock. musta been really cold weather for it to do that especially as a Water Rail isn't much bigger than a dunnock.

[aeshna5]

Originally Posted by vinnychameleon

Wow a Water rail eating a dunnock. musta been really cold weather for it to do that especially as a Water Rail isn't much bigger than a dunnock.

Once when I was in a hide at Titchfield Haven I saw a Water Rail chase up this branch sticking out of the water to have a go at a Kingfisher, but latter flew off in time.

[RobSutton]

Originally Posted by aeshna5

Once when I was in a hide at Titchfield Haven I saw a Water Rail chase up this branch sticking out of the water to have a go at a Kingfisher, but latter flew off in time.

I've seen Water Rails swallowed whole by Herons and the Bigger Gulls - on really high tides on the Dee at Parkgate the water comes over the saltmarsh and the rails which you never see suddenly have nowhere to hide and are easy game for the bigger gulss and herons. All watched my hoards of birders if the tides a good one.

[Gill Catton]

Originally Posted by vinnychameleon

Wow a Water rail eating a dunnock. musta been really cold weather for it to do that especially as a Water Rail isn't much bigger than a dunnock.

well I've only seen three water rails in my life - all randomly flushed from wet reed fringed ditches as I was walking along - but they are a bit bigger than a dunnock, more the size of a small moorhen or a little grebe. but still yes the dunnock a fair old size for it!!

[scholesy]

I had fantastic views of water rail on Monday at Potteric Carr nature reserve near Doncaster.
Theres a feeding station at the Willow Pool hide (beside visitor centre), lots of seeds ect littering the floor form the various nuts, seed & fat feeders.

Water rail came out from the reeds & rushes to feed on the scraps. Great views, very close, about 20ft away. Seemd to be in a bit of a quandary. Free and easy food difficult to pass up, but was very nervous and rushed back to waters eadge and in the reeds and the slightest disturbance, usually a G.S. woodpecker giving him afright.

Seen one on just one other occassion, donkeys ago. Great little bird, fantastic bright bill.