[I know the punch line of our day's adventure was posted before we ever had a chance to log on, but I have decided?that there is more to the story and I know some people enjoy my (overly) enthusiastic postings so here goes .... ]

We left Lake County at 2am on Wednesday morning, and that was the key to our success.? Passing through Columbus in a blinding rainstorm with thunder and horizontal lightning, we began to wonder if we were on a fool's errand.? But the rain stopped as we drove through Circleville and arrived in near darkness at the Charlie's Pond site.? Within 10 minutes, the loud and cheering call of the Black Rail was heard, its ability to throw its voice causing us to turn this way and that until we realized that the Rail itself must be turning in place.? For more than an hour we enjoyed this concert, always trying to convince ourselves that a 'heard only' Black Rail would suffice.? A school bus passed along the road and believe it or not, it was this bus that really got the bird going!!? The calls came faster and closer, and then our best spotter caught sight of grasses systematically bending low and he knew the bird was approaching.? He saw the tail between some reeds and then -- may all b
 lessings be upon lady luck and mother nature --? the teeny-tiny midget of a darling turned back and walked in clear and perfect?view across an open space and into the grasses.? All three of us had seen it - unbelievable!? But our show was not over.? Moving grasses indicated that the bird was proceeding around the high water until it reached a really deep part, at which point it flew about 100 feet to the other side of the water.? Be still my beating heart!!

So there we were at 7:05am, surely not a time to turn around and drive back.? Here are some of the other very special events of a day to remember:

-???? Grasshopper and Henslow's sparrows, the Henslow's in the scope throwing his head back as he sang to the sky;
-???? The most beautiful Dickcissel ever, as agreed upon by the five people who watched this extra-colorful poser in the scope as he sang and sang;
-???? Willow (early in the morning) and Alder (afternoon) flycatchers singing behind us as we returned to check out the scene at the rail stake-out from time to time;
-???? Particularly beautiful Cedar Waxwings flying from a far distance to?stuff their mouths with?last year's milkweed fluff to line their nest;
-???? A chortling Yellow-breasted Chat, one of my very favorite birds, giving great looks as he stood on a wire;
-???? Pheasants and pheasants and more pheasants, running here and there in the corn fields, crying out in the early morning, a hen with a dozen tiny babies hustling into the brush, another hen with bigger babies crossing the road;
-???? 13-line ground-squirrels along the road, a surprise to us this far east;
-???? Drenched and squealing mink babies flushed from their home by the soaking rain - we dried them off and set them back down - returning later, we found them in fine form and discovered a large pile of crayfish carcasses to indicate their diet (oh please - stick to crayfish and do not develop a taste for rails!);
-??? Astonishing clouds and weather, a dense wall of gray approaching that brought thoughts of tornadoes, crazy rain and lightning, beautiful light and sudden darkness;
-??? The lovely landscape, reminding one of long-lost prairie, washed clean and green in the after-storm coolness.

S. Wagner, Mentor,?along with?RLH and JRT

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