Gd. Kearns et al., DIGITAL PLAYBACK AND IMPROVED TRAP DESIGN ENHANCES CAPTURE OF MIGRANTSORAS AND VIRGINIA RAILS, Journal of field ornithology, 69(3), 1998, pp. 466-473
We used playback of rail vocalizations and improved trap design to enh
ance capture of fall migrant Soras (Porzana carolina) and Virginia Rai
ls (Rallus limicola) in marshes bordering the tidal Patuxent River, Ma
ryland. Custom-fabricated microchip message-repeating sound systems pr
ovided digitally recorded sound for long-life, high-quality playback.
A single sound system accompanied each 30-45-m long drift fence trap l
ine fitted with 1-3 cloverleaf traps. Ramped funnel entrances improved
retention of captured rails and deterred raccoon (Procyon lotor) pred
ation. Use of playback and improved trap design increased trap success
by over an order of magnitude and resulted in capture and banding of
2315 Soras and 276 Virginia Rails during September and October 1993-19
97. The Sera captures more than doubled the banding records for the sp
ecies in North America. This capture success demonstrates the efficacy
of banding large numbers of Soras and Virginia Rails on migration and
winter concentration areas.