![\"virginia](\"http:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/10\/virginia-rail-0708-ron-dudley.jpg\" "\\"virginia")
<\/p>\nThe Virginia Rail is the epitome of elusiveness.\u00a0 Though their populations are relatively stable, they’re so very secretive that birders seldom see them and when they do they typically only get a fleeting glimpse of the bird through the reeds.\u00a0 Their laterally compressed bodies allow them to squeeze through extremely narrow gaps in vegetation so they usually seem to disappear as if by magic.<\/p>\n
Relatively little is known about these\u00a0fresh water game birds (hunting\u00a0them is permitted) because of their\u00a0extremely shy habits and the fact that hunters show virtually no interest in them.<\/p>\n
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1\/800, f\/8, ISO 400, 500 f\/4, 1.4 tc<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n In my years of bird photography, this particular bird is the only\u00a0<\/em> Virginia Rail I have ever seen out in the open (and one of the very few I’ve seen at all)\u00a0so it was a double delight when it looked back\u00a0at me as it scurried away.\u00a0\u00a0 I got four shots of it and only this one was sharp, partly due to my relatively slow shutter speed.<\/p>\n Not a terribly attractive setting but if it had been in its preferred habitat I’d have never seen it at all.\u00a0 I’ll take it.<\/p>\n Ron<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" The Virginia Rail is the epitome of elusiveness.\u00a0 Though their populations are relatively stable, they’re so very secretive that birders seldom see them and when they do they typically only get a fleeting glimpse of the bird through the reeds.\u00a0 Their laterally compressed bodies allow them to squeeze through extremely narrow gaps in vegetation so they usually seem to disappear as if by magic. Relatively little is known about these\u00a0fresh water game birds (hunting\u00a0them is permitted) because of their\u00a0extremely shy habits and the fact that hunters show virtually no interest in them. 1\/800, f\/8, ISO 400, 500 f\/4, 1.4 tc In my years of bird photography, this particular bird is the only\u00a0 Virginia Rail I have ever seen out in the open (and one of the very few I’ve seen at all)\u00a0so it was a double delight when it looked back\u00a0at me as it scurried away.\u00a0\u00a0 I got four shots of it and only this one was sharp, partly due to my relatively slow shutter speed. Not a terribly attractive setting but if it had been in its preferred habitat I’d have never seen it at all.\u00a0 I’ll take it. Ron<\/p>\n