These cool rails are found mostly in salt marshes and mangroves including the marsh area along South Padre Island. The convention center boardwalk that provides wonderful access to the birds and other critters in this salt marsh is well known for providing great views of Clapper Rails. As these pics demonstrate I wasn't disappointed when I visited that island over the week-end. SeEtta
That said, I was very disappointed in the new "Birding and Nature" Center built and operated by the So Padre Economic Development Corporation. What a sad thing to waste this opportunity to showcase the ecosystems found on this island--instead, visitors are greeted "pretty" waterfalls (I have been told that the closest waterfalls are about 300 miles away in the hill country, a very different ecosystem, of central Texas). The very fancy building with 5 story observation tower cost
$6.5 million according to Island Breeze news article--now they are having trouble making operating expenses while a smaller and more reasonable building would not have been as expensive to operate and at least some of the funds could have been used for habitat that is rapidly vanishing, first to tall buildings and now to sprawl.
I'm glad these Clapper Rails have some habitat and hopefully it will be protected and not sold for more development someday. SeEtta
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