Water rail are very secretive birds. Slimbridge WWT offers one of the best places to film them.

[@paulharvey2396]

I find these clips to be most precious gifts -- I am moved to pray that this beautiful world may still be here in a 1000 years. Each bird -- how infinitely precious each one. thank you.

[@lq5109]

I live on a very small island in Croatia in a semi forested area and one stray bird has presented itself to eat kibbled peanuts that the blue tits dropped from the feeder. he first arrived in October very small and has managed to survive up until now I keep an eye out as there is no fresh water on the island or any lakes he muddied the bowl of water on the ground once but has not seemed to use it again so I am worried as to where he is going to get fresh water, luckily it is the rainy season Some reeds nearby but no water, and so I am grateful for your video as I misidentified him as a Dowitcher No one on the island could identify this bird so I reached out to Goran Šikić from the Biom association in Zagreb Croatia who identified him and now a whole new world has opened with your marvellous photography. As you have said he is very skittish so I just observe and dare not move when I see him, it is hit and run!! Where is it possible to obtain information on the migration or breeding behaviour please There are quite a few pheasants so I hope their squawking makes him feel welcome With much gratitude Lyn

[@MikeLaneFRPS]

The BTO website is very good for data on British Birds. Try this www.tandfonline.com/doi/epdf/10.1080/00063657309476360?needAccess=true or search the BTO website for water rail. www.bto.org/ You could offer the water rail dead fish, large or small. Better than peanuts for its diet.

[@GeoffCooper]

Excellent! I saw and photographed my very first water rail at Slimbridge in the mid 90s - I grew up 40 mins up the road :) I remember I had just got a motor drive on my otherwise manual Minolta camera, but it made such an awful noise that I had to turn it off as it scared the birds!

[@MikeLaneFRPS]

I made a sound proof box for my first powerwinder. 2.5 frames per seconds.

[@stephenbarlow2493]

A great illustration, that bird/wildlife photography, and indeed bird watching, is all about the opportunity to see something. If you never get the opportunity to see a Water Rail, or any other bird in the open, you will never get the opportunity to photograph it or observe it. I spend a huge a lot of time, on a huge peat bog, the third largest in Britain. I now realize there is a very large population of Water Rail across the whole site. I hear them, and get glimpses of them regularly. I get incredibly close to them. But the most I ever get is a quick glimpse before they dive into cover. I've no idea how I could set up a hide to watch them, as neither me nor anyone else has ever observed one feeding in the open. I was hoping when they built a bird hide on some flooded fields at the edge, I'd get a chance, because there's a good population of Water Rail there. But I've still never seen one feeding in the open. I did manage to get a half decent shot of Cetti's the other day, only the second opportunity, in 6 years of trying.

[@tarjei99]

They seem to like oats, so you can try feeding them that.

[@johnpark8297]

Thanks for making this film Mike, top drawer, exactly my type of bird watching too 👍

[@MikeLaneFRPS]

Glad you enjoyed it

[@kasturiranganp]

Another wonderful video from Mike. Top class!

[@MikeLaneFRPS]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@ravineelakantan6417]

Wonderful video and snaps of the Rails...interesting to see them feeding on the worms...also a great testimony to the adequacy of Micro four thirds cameras in Low light High ISO situations (ISO 25,600!)...Thanks for sharing.

[@MikeLaneFRPS]

Glad you enjoyed it

[@garyives1218]

Seems pretty amazing results for the super high ISO! Oh, and loved the acoustic bass at beginning.

[@MikeLaneFRPS]

Thanks

[@grahamcox395]

Nice Video Mike , I have taken many Photographs of the Water Rails at Slimbridge , I took some great shots of the Rail on Ice.

[@MikeLaneFRPS]

Thanks 👍

[@ashstubbings2603]

Hi Mike! I never realised that the Water Rail was quite so small! I actually thought it was bigger than a Moorhen! Brilliant video once again!

[@MikeLaneFRPS]

Glad you enjoyed it

[@ImageMaven]

Thanks Mike. We have a similar species here called Sora, which are also very shy. Got lucky one day and saw one with about 7 chicks.

[@MikeLaneFRPS]

Thank you.

[@cliftonwhittaker260]

Very good, Mike. Like you, I enjoy learning about the life activities and environment of the birds as much as I do getting a nice picture.

[@MikeLaneFRPS]

Glad you enjoyed it

[@danielmulder9389]

You are a true inspiration for upcoming wildlife photographers. Thanks for the video!

[@MikeLaneFRPS]

Glad you like them!

[@rolandrickphotography]

As always excellent, thanks Mike!

[@MikeLaneFRPS]

My pleasure!

[@cryptographerchris4856]

Great find. Even better images and video.

[@MikeLaneFRPS]

Many thanks!

[@louisswaim7024]

Lovely. They’re very like our Ridgway Rails here in California.

[@MikeLaneFRPS]

Yes they are!

[@SwanSycorax]

Lovely Mike. I saw one of these birds at WWT Arundel a few weeks ago. Unfortunately I couldn't get an angle on it as other photographers were in the way and if disappeared before I got any opportunity to photograph it and didn't reappear. I also understand one has been seen at Woods Mill, the base of the Sussex Wildlife Trust so plan to head over there to see if i can see it.

[@MikeLaneFRPS]

Very skulking bird.

[@comelachapelle8337]

So nice video. Thank you very much for explaning the behavior of this bird. The music and the telling were so peaceful.

[@MikeLaneFRPS]

Many thanks

[@macg33zr]

Great video Mike, one of my favourite places to see Water Rails too. I’ve watched Curlews and Godwits washing a worm like that before the eating, so interesting to watch the behaviour.

[@MikeLaneFRPS]

Thanks

[@StephenJStephen_Photography]

Very nice video Mike. Your Water Rails are very similar in appearance and behaviour to our Virginia Rails. A couple of years ago I watched a pairs regularly feed their chicks large Tadpoles.

[@MikeLaneFRPS]

I saw them in Canada. They were very similar

[@droitwichblue]

Great to get a porthole into the life of such a secretive and elusive bird! Yes certainly added value to birding when recording photos or video. Washing food was interesting and years of watching birds I'd never noticed wading birds leaving the water to defecate until I was waiting for a Green Sand to approach my hide and it tracked off up the bank, then I noticed most if not all wading birds walk well away from water first.

[@MikeLaneFRPS]

Humans could learn from that!

[@seafreedom334]

Wonderful sequence. Really enjoyed watching and learned a lot. Bizarrely, although I live in Scotland, the only shots I’ve ever got of a rail (Virginia rail) were at Burnaby lake near Vancouver, the location of one of your videos. Looking forward to the next Mike Lane output.

[@MikeLaneFRPS]

Hard to tell the two species apsrt.

[@pgordijn4561]

Beautiful footage and wonderful behaviour of these hardy and stunning Water rails. Great to see them much longer than the short glimpses you normally get.

[@MikeLaneFRPS]

Glad you enjoyed it

[@alandimery3379]

Thanks Mike, for a lovely video. I regularly go to Slimbridge with my brother. Although I am more of a fair -weather photographer. I will look out for you, to say hello, next time I am there.

[@MikeLaneFRPS]

Glad you enjoyed it

[@PeteCroft1]

Nice video and stills Mike, I struggle to get a clear shot of water rails, always reeds or grass in the way!

[@MikeLaneFRPS]

Yes very skulking

[@systemanaturae105]

Great video clip Mike. Super slow motion 😊

[@MikeLaneFRPS]

Thanks 👍

[@bellasvistas3463]

Another great photo session. Enjoyable to watch and informative 👍

[@MikeLaneFRPS]

Glad you enjoyed it

[@ralfedge203]

Great video Mike as always, more publicly accessible location recommendations would be very very welcome in due course...

[@MikeLaneFRPS]

Thanks.

[@mikesphotography7185]

Nicely done Mike great results for the high ISO and from a great photographer. 👍

[@MikeLaneFRPS]

Thanks

[@micktoulmin4616]

Fascinating behaviour and great video again Mike well done sir 📷👍

[@MikeLaneFRPS]

Glad you enjoyed it

[@Kellysher]

Lovely video! It’s nice to be able to see the birds in your area and have familiar cousins in my part of the USA, your rail is like my Sora. Your Moore hen is close to my coot. I too like to just observe and learn about behavior when I photograph. I love the vibe on your channel and appreciate the photography knowledge that you share. Thanks!

[@MikeLaneFRPS]

Thank you very much!

[@symonfraser6422]

Fab photos and commentary, thank you.

[@MikeLaneFRPS]

Glad you enjoyed it

[@CamillaI]

Great video Mike that hide will be popular for the very illusive Water Rail. I did get one at my local Nature Reserve Langford Lakes but not this close amazing action. Thanks for sharing 👍

[@MikeLaneFRPS]

It's been there for some years.

[@chrismc2090]

Great video Mike. I was shooting a Purple Gallinule last November in S'Albufera Natural Park, Mallorca, another very secretive bird and part of the Gruiformes order along with Rails. Very interesting!

[@MikeLaneFRPS]

Thanks

[@przybylskipawel]

Do you have a plan to test out the new OM-System 150-600mm lens?

[@MikeLaneFRPS]

Not likely I will ever buy one.

[@derandreaspetitjean3502]

Very nice I saw waterrails only two times and the second whas catched by a hawk sadly behind a bush but after this a beaver breaks with his head through the ice.

[@stevevickers2844]

Nice one Mike. I was lucky to get a shot of a water rail about a month ago at Bude marshes - just saw movement as I was walking by the river bank - super bird.

[@MikeLaneFRPS]

Thanks. They are a challenge to photograph.

[@MJSPhotographyUK]

Thanks for sharing Mike that view of the water rail, not seen one yet this year, but will be out tomorrow to see if I can see one on our private reserve at Rickmansworth, they have been seen last week.

[@MikeLaneFRPS]

Hope you enjoy it!

[@thomasreed49]

Thanks Mike narrating and footage first class

[@MikeLaneFRPS]

Glad you enjoyed it

[@janvanholten7592]

Beautifull and informative again.

[@MikeLaneFRPS]

Thanks again!

[@rogerhance5883]

Nice video Mike.You say you put your pictures through Topaz Ai. Do you mean DeNoise AI ?

[@MikeLaneFRPS]

Topaz Photo Ai

[@michaelktori5178]

I've enjoyed photographing Rails (Buff banded Rails) in my local area and I've never seen one flying. Do they?

[@MikeLaneFRPS]

Yes they fly

[@birdwatcherlubuski]

I love your channel, Mike, great footage as usual, but it's inter-action, not inter-re-action. 😅👍

[@blutey]

Those grey squirrels are a pest. In the last couple of days they've worked out how to pull over our birdhouse on a stand. They've done it twice now.

[@MikeLaneFRPS]

Yes I would not miss them if they were removed from the U.K.

[@tarjei99]

I have had some luck feeding the Water Rails with oats.

[@MikeLaneFRPS]

They prefer mealworm or small fish.