Rarely Seen Sora Rescued From Dixon Flood

I'd like to share some photos of a rare (in rehab) baby Sora (a member of the Rail family. These small, 7", well-camouflaged marsh birds are fairly common in our area, but rarely seen. She was rescued from the Dixon canal just after flooding carried the newly-hatched, 6 gram bird from her nest area. It has been a major challenge to raise her as I could find no rehabbers who have ever raised this species.

It is hard to get a photo of her now as she is behaving like a wild Sora in her large cage complete with tules and other marsh plants, and a "pond" with small fish and aquatic insects.

The first photo was taken shortly after admission (the black material in the back serves as Mom or Dad; she spends a lot of time tucked under the "wings." The second photo is about 3 weeks later.