Buff-banded Rails - An urban wildlife story

[@mikeybj]

Im in Lake Macquarie on the western side on the water and I just spotted one at my back door early this morning. Thought it was a quail at first. Gee they can move fast across my paddock. I moved up here last year from St Peters across from Sydney park in the video and walked in there often, never saw one. I was surprised to see them in there in your video. I had no idea, but now I know they can fly great distances so they get around. Thanks mate for great video, I can appreciate the amount of time that would have taken to put together. I am definitely now a subscriber and encourage others to do the same in support of the work you do. Thanks Mikey😃

[@possm1]

Gee, thanks Mikey! There are always at least a couple of pairs of Buff-banded Rails in Sydney Park. They're very cryptic and the best time to spot them is early morning or late evening, although when they have chicks they get very bold. Thanks for subscribing and promoting. Today, I'm uploading something rather different!

[@arwencambouris6730]

Fascinating

[@LauraPeachIsMe]

Hello!! Just spotted my first one today when my partner and I were walking around the torrens in SA! Thought it was a quail at first 😅 it was cautious but stayed pecking away as we walked past. Thank you for the video, we loved seeing the lil soot ball hatchlings 😂 hopefully we get to see it again on our travels 🧡

[@possm1]

Thanks! Paradoxically they're easiest to see in places where there's suitable habitat and lots of people and they become complacent about human presence. In Sydney's Botanic Gardens, the last time I was there, they were wandering into the kiosk looking for scraps. They're all easier to see during the breeding season when they're desperate to find food for their chicks and their inhibitions drop away.

[@sida3590]

Have one living near my property in the Hawkesbury. Thought it was a quail at first. Beautiful bird. Quite a curious little thing.

[@ChrisKing-pl9bq]

Beautiful footage and so interesting thanks Gavin

[@nataliehitoun9334]

Beautifully shot video Gavin. The context and history of Sydney Park was very useful.

[@barbaracutler4016]

Wonderful footage Gavin. A pleasure to watch.

[@gafrers]

Beautiful

[@vorenobrien1533]

Marvellous video. I especially enjoyed the slo-mo chase scene and the camera peck at the end!

[@pshute2]

This is an awesome video. It would be good for explaining the effects of dogs on wildlife. Is it mostly shot with hidden cameras? How many cameras did you use, and did it take long to work out the best places to put them?

[@possm1]

Sorry to take so long to reply. I only just noticed your post. My observation is that dogs don't have much effect on most birdlife, and some species actually benefit. Of course there are specific cases where dogs should be excluded, as I've highlighted in videos about, especially, beach-nesting shorebirds. In Sydney Park, really simple unobtrusive measures like low fencing have discouraged around 99.9% of canine and human incursion into the wildlife habitat zones so that wildlife and a big load of dogs and humans can co-exist happily. The video was mostly shot with a single, heavily-camouflaged motion-sensing camera with the lense located about 12cm above ground level. I located the camera sort of intuitively and changed the card in it daily, reviewed the footage, and then relocated it as required.

[@alanbstard4]

interesting birds