Adrian Dancy
Water Rail, Greater Manchester 2nd October 2013 A.Dancy CR 023a
Water Rail (Rallus aquaticus)
0600.29.10.2020
In my last post, I said that my next upload will be of a water rail but one that is different to anything you have seen before or are likely to see again. Well, here it is. The Water Rail is roosting on the 5th-floor windowsill of the town hall in the centre of Manchester. I got a telephone call from Dave Barlow (Bio-Diversity officer and all-round good egg) telling me the bird was there and he was concerned for its welfare. Dave appears in the image. The bird was aware of human presence but we shielded the bird with a board so that it could roost undisturbed. It was gone the following morning. I took a few images but could not get a clear view through an open window so had to photograph through a glass window. The poor light and slightly dirty window did not assist in getting a totally clean shot. However, I believe content trumps image quality. The image was made with a bog-standard lens that was provided free with my 20D back in 2004. Sadly I lost the lens about two years ago in the Irwell valley and cannot make my mind up as to what I should replace it with. Indecision is my greatest flaw!
Final note. I have seen many water rails but never appreciated quite how small they are. The body is not much bigger than a starling's body...expectation and mental references can force one to make false presumptions in regard to both size and colour. I am sure I am not the only victim.
Water Rail, Greater Manchester 2nd October 2013 A.Dancy CR 023a
Water Rail (Rallus aquaticus)
0600.29.10.2020
In my last post, I said that my next upload will be of a water rail but one that is different to anything you have seen before or are likely to see again. Well, here it is. The Water Rail is roosting on the 5th-floor windowsill of the town hall in the centre of Manchester. I got a telephone call from Dave Barlow (Bio-Diversity officer and all-round good egg) telling me the bird was there and he was concerned for its welfare. Dave appears in the image. The bird was aware of human presence but we shielded the bird with a board so that it could roost undisturbed. It was gone the following morning. I took a few images but could not get a clear view through an open window so had to photograph through a glass window. The poor light and slightly dirty window did not assist in getting a totally clean shot. However, I believe content trumps image quality. The image was made with a bog-standard lens that was provided free with my 20D back in 2004. Sadly I lost the lens about two years ago in the Irwell valley and cannot make my mind up as to what I should replace it with. Indecision is my greatest flaw!
Final note. I have seen many water rails but never appreciated quite how small they are. The body is not much bigger than a starling's body...expectation and mental references can force one to make false presumptions in regard to both size and colour. I am sure I am not the only victim.