The rising sun cast a golden glow over the Patuxent River this September morning. It was 73 degrees, and the north winds were 6 mph when we began our excursion on the river. Later in the morning, the temperature reached 83 degrees. Fellow birders and I were there to find and learn about a particular species of bird—the Sora. The Sora is a type of rail in the family Rallidae. Its breeding grounds are in Canada and the northern half of the United States, including parts of the Midwest, West, and Northeast. They spend the winter in the southern United States, Mexico, Central America, and northern South America.

They migrate through this area during the spring and fall. They are very elusive and not typically seen.

The outing was led by Greg Kearns. Greg has been a senior park naturalist with the Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission (MNCPPC) for 40 years, working at Patuxent River Park and Jug Bay Natural Area. He is an expert on the wetland ecology of the Chesapeake Bay, a licensed bird bander, and a renowned authority on the Sora and Osprey.

He has been recognized for his work with Soras and for the restoration of the wild rice marshes at Jug Bay, Maryland. This wetland restoration provides important habitat for fish and other organisms and serves as a feeding ground where Soras can refuel during their migration.

We hoped to see a large number of Soras in the area, but our timing was a little off. It was likely due to the fact that the recent temperatures had not yet cooled. We did manage to see a couple of Soras as Greg pulled the boat up to the shoreline, and we heard a few more in the distance. But we weren’t disappointed. We checked previously set walk-in traps, where a total of six Soras were waiting.

We got to watch Greg and his team in action as they processed the birds. This included taking measurements, checking their fat reserves, weighing them, and banding them.

Audubon has a great article about the research Greg has done on the migration of the Sora - https://www.audubon.org/news/better-know-bird-remarkable-migration-secretive-sora