Rice & Rails: The Delicate Balance of Wild Rice Marshlands

Join naturalist Greg Kearns in a remarkable opportunity to learn about our sora rail population and its tight link with wild rice in the Patuxent River marshlands. While out on a pontoon boat, we hope to see rail out on the mudflats during low tide, and possibly watch the banding of a few individuals. We will learn about the wild rice as it ends its seasonal bloom and the strong connection between it and the rail population. Greg began investigating this secretive small marsh waterbird in 1987, which led to ground-breaking research and understanding of the bird’s natural history, as well as an amazing restoration effort conducted there at Jug Bay under Greg’s direction.

Sighting sora rail is highly dependent on the weather, which initiates their migration, and will be reflected in the number of rails in our vicinity. Please note that all bird observation and handling techniques match or exceed the practices outlined in the Bird Banders Code of Ethics. All banding is conducted under a federally authorized Bird Banding Permit issued by the U.S. Geological Survey.

You may also like the following events from The Natural History Society of Maryland:

• This Thursday, 21st August, 10:00 am, How Nature Shaped History in Baltimore
• This Friday, 22nd August, 05:30 pm, Evening Sail on the Sigsbee in Essex
• This Saturday, 23rd August, 09:00 am, Felt a Mushroom in Parkville