Today the podcast is going off the rails. That’s right, we’re discussing rails - you know, those absurdly sneaky, pancake-thin wetland birds you’re ten times more likely to hear shouting from the cattails than actually see.

These fascinating birds are full of many secrets. Despite their atypical size, shape, and short wings, many migrate great distances. Their reclusive behavior makes them particularly hard to study, but thankfully we have Dr. Auriel Fournier, a leading rail researcher and director of the Forbes Biological Research Station on the podcast today.

Dr. Fournier shares the wonder and breadth of rail life, the unique methods used to track rail movements, the challenges faced in managing wetlands for rails, and she even offers a few tips on how to see them. I even learned where the phrase “skinny as a rail” comes from!

Be sure to check the show notes on naturesarchive.com for some rail-y great photos of some of the birds that were discussed.

So come be a third rail with me today for this episode. It’s a sora-sly good discussion. Sorry - don’t rail against me for these rail-y great rail puns.

Thanks to Amelia Heintz-Botz for guets sourcing and booking!

FULL SHOW NOTES

LINKS
Forbes Biological Research Station
Illinois Natural History Survey
MOTUS tracking
Firebird Project
Nature's Archive Episode #33: Bird Migrations with Dr. Andrew Farnsworth
Nature's Archive Episode #71: Wetlands with Tom Biebighauser

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Music: Spellbound by Brian Holtz Music
License (CC BY 4.0): https://filmmusic.io/standard-license
Artist site: https://brianholtzmusic.com

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