Great Meadows in Concord

Great Meadows is a great birding hotspot for rails and other marsh birds. Last Thursday, I took a trip to Great Meadows to look for the continuing Sora that had been seen near the entrance to the Dike Trail, as well as the large number of Virginia Rails that had been seen. Arriving at the Refuge and starting down the trail, it became immediately apparent that our shoes would have to be left behind. The trail was entirely flooded, over a foot and a half deep in some places. We were able to locate the Sora, however, with only a little difficulty. After nearly stepping on a 3 foot long Black Snake, my Dad, who came with me for this trip, found the Sora less than ten feet away. Here are some pictures.

Sora at Great Meadows NWR in Concord, MA

We continued down the trail, with more and more flooding.

Trail at Great Meadows - The visible water outlines the trail!

At the end of the causeway, we found 4 Virginia Rails, 2 adults and 2 younglings, by the edge of the water. One was out in the open and allowed for some great photos.

 Virginia Rail

Once, the female rail got a little too close to the male, and the male started chasing her around! 

On the way back to the car, we found a female Yellow Warbler eating a grasshopper, which was very cool to see. This would be the last bird we saw on a very successful trip.

Our Ebird Checklist from the trip: http://ebird.org/ebird/view/checklist?subID=S14432439

Red-Winged Blackbird: