Very near the kiosk on the Cross-Dike Trail, between the edge of the first puddle and where you exit the woods, you were often able to see Sora. Normally these are reclusive birds, more often heard than seen. However due to all the flooding they were scavenging along side the trail. They were enjoying the plentiful supply of worms. Somehow people didn't phase them. They walked so close that all the photographers "big lenses" were useless. Point & shoot cameras were the better instrument. I even took a photo with my cell phone & posted it to Facebook.
Maybe the reason the are so hard to see is that they really are hiding in the trees. This is quite unusual, but high ground was rare.
If you wandered through the truly deep water by the foot bridge and the walked all the way to the river in water ranging from calf to ankle deep (except for a couple points of dry high ground) you earned views of another elusive bird at Great Meadows. Virginia Rails are a bit more plentiful, but but often glances are more furtive as the rails wander between the reeds. More often you'll hear their distinctive Three Stooges call - nyuck, nyuck, nyuck
Not only could you see adult Virginia Rails, but you also could see juveniles. The youngest were very much black, while for older juveniles you could just start to see some of the adult coloration starting to peek through.
This adult bathed in front of us and then spent a good 10 minutes preening. I know it's only preening but looking at a couple of the poses you would swear it was practicing yoga.
A good view all all the coloring
