Final report, clapper rail survey and investigation study

t Ml
G275

Iffiasi

\,
1954
J5

FINAL REPORT CLAPPER RAIL SURVEY AND INVESTIGATION STUDY
BY
JOHN ONEY

THE LIBRARY OF THE UNIVERSITY OF GEORGIA
<-l*Lli

Final Report
Clapper Rail Survey
and
Investigation Study
GEORGIA GAME AND FISH COMMISSION
412 State Capitol Atlanta, Georgia

Final Report
Clapper Rail Survey
and
Investigation Study
by
JOHN ONEY, Project Leader
GEORGIA GAME AND FISH COMMISSION
412 State Capitol Atlanta, Georgia
Game Management Division
Federal Aid Project
Georgia W-9-R
FULTON LOVELL, Director
1954 Edition

HERMAN E. TALMADGE, Governor

GEORGIA GAME AND FISH COMMISSION

LEONARD BASSFORD, Chairman
10th District

J. O. BOWEN, Vice-Chairman
5th District

FRED C. JONES
9th District

CASON CALLOWAY, JR., Sec.
3rd District

ALVA J. HOPKINS, JR.
8th District

RICHARD TIFT
2nd District

BILL AUSTIN
7th District

FRED D. BEASLEY
Coastal

J. D. POPE
4th District

JAMES F. DARBY, JR.
1st District

B. T. RAWLINGS
6th District

FULTON LOYELL, Director

JACK A. CROCKFORD, Federal Aid Coordinator

LIBRARY

CONTENTS

I. Introduction

8

A. Procedure

8

II. History

10

III. Clapper Rail Habitat

12

A. Mapping Technique

12

B. The Salt Marsh

12

C. The Cord Grass Marsh

15

D. The Black Rush Marsh

17

E. Abandoned Rice Marsh

20

IV. Food Habits

20

A. Method of Analysis

22

B. Food Availability

24

V. Nesting

26

A. Time of Nesting

26

B. Mating Habits

26

C. Nesting Habitat

28

D. Nesting Success

31

E. Discussion

32

F. Nesting Populations

32

G. Predators

33

VI. Census Techniques

38

VII. Hunting Clapper Rail

39

A. Techniques

40

B. The Hunting Seasons

40

VIII. Rail Migration

44

A. Trapping Methods

45

IX. Discussion

46

Digitized by the Internet Archive in 2013
http://archive.org/details/finalreportclappOOgeor

.

PHOTOS

1 Clapper Rail Nest

7

2. Clapper Rail (Rallus longirostris waynei)

9

3. The Cord Grass (Spartina alterniflora ) Marsh

14

4. Tall Cord Grass (Spartina alterniflora

16

)

5. Medium Cord Grass (Spartina alterniflora)

18

6. Short Cord Grass

19

7. Black Rush (Juncus Roemerianus ) invading Cord

Grass (spartina alterniflora) marsh

21

8. Square-backed Fiddler Crabs (Sesarma reticulatum and S. cinereum) (Jack S. ret. on left, 2 S. cin. on right) 25

9. Common Fiddler Crabs (Uca Sp.)

25

10. Eurytium limosum

26

11. Periwinkle Snails (Littorina irrorata)

27

U 12. Shell fragments indicating successfully hatched nest

34

v

13. Destroyed Marsh Hen Eggs

36

INTRODUCTION
The Georgia State Game & Fish Commission began a re-
search investigation of the clapper rail in July 1947. This study
was carried on under the Federal Aid in Wildlife Restoration
program as Research Project 9-R. The project continued from
July 1, 1947 until June 30, 1950.
The Game and Fish Commission had become concerned
about the number of clapper rail in Georgia. There was not undue pressure from sportsmen in regard to the number of rail, but the State wanted an investigation made of the bird and its status determined in order that proper management prac-
tices could be put into effect. Consequently, the study has
been concerned with all phases of the life history and manage-
ment of the clapper rail. Principally, investigations were made
of habitat, food habits, nesting, hunting and other factors af-
fecting the rail.
The resident clapper rail of Georgia is Wayne's clapper rail, (Rallus longirostris waynei). The following photograph
shows the adult bird in a defense attitude. It is a subspecies of the Northern clapper rail, (Rallus longirostris crepitans). It is very difficult to separate the two under field conditions. Both species have a light phase and a dark phase of coloration. Furthermore, there is definitely a gradual color gradation between
each species. Ridgeway and Friedman (1941), offer the most positive means of separation into subspecies. They state that
one may separate Wayne's clapper rail from the Northern clap-
per rail primarily by the barring of the feathers on the sides and flanks. In the Northern clapper rail the white of these feathers is one half to one third the width of the dark interspaces. Wayne's clapper rail has barring such that the white
is nearly the same width of the dark barring. The barring of Wayne's clapper rail is a dark hair brown rather than dusky
drab as it is in the northern specirs.
PROCEDURE
Headquarters for the project was set up in Brunswick which is located approximately in the center of the Georgia
8

***' JiY** 1

1

'W * :

#A

9

coast. A Richardson Sedan Cruiser, twenty-five feet long, was purchased and docked in Brunswick. A boat this size was nec-
essary in order that the large sounds could be crossed in rough
weather. The boat had sleeping and cooking accommodations
for three persons.
A field assistant, Lou North, was hired to help with the
maintenance and handling of the boat during its operation.
The assistant also helped in carrying out the various phases of
the investigation.
Most phases of the study required extensive field work which was carried out on foot in the marsh. Walking in the marsh could be done only during the period of about four
hours at low tide. Foot travel at high tide is practically im-
possible.
A small cub type airplane was used frequently throughout
the study for mapping and making general observations.
HISTORY
Arthur Cleveland Bent (1926) has compiled the bulk of the existing data on clapper rail. His sources of information were
Audubon, Bachman, Wilson and many others that had experi-
ence with these birds. These gentlemen gave accounts of the rail
during the years from 1832 to 1896. They were quite impressed with the number of birds and wrote descriptions that are almost unbelievable. Audubon states that it was not unusual for an
"egger" to gather a hundred dozen eggs in one day. He has further stated that as many as sixty birds could be killed in
four hours. While most of these events concerned the Northern clapper rail, the Wayne's clapper rail was apparently as abundant.
Very little can be added to Bent's information as applying specifically to Georgia. Apparently egging was more difficult in Georgia than it was in the north. This is easily understood since the tide conditions and vegetation are so different. Negro hunters were the principal regular shooters of the clapper rail, or "marsh hen" as it is known locally. Most white people did not hunt the marsh hen since they were not considered to be ''fitting sport". The marsh hen has become a game bird only
10

since improved roads and better transportation has increased
the hunting pressure on other game and forced the sportsman
to find other hunting species. Better transportation has, in a
manner of speaking, advertised the sport to many more people
since persons from all over the State can more easily hunt the
birds.
In Georgia people along the coast speak of the large number of hens that could be killed a "few years ago". They relate that it was not unusual to find 30 or 40 birds on one small raft
of dead vegetation. No similar indication of numbers was ever
noted during the study. However, it is, at the present time, possible to kill approximately 100 birds on one tide provided that the tide be high enough.
Locally, people speak of the large number of birds that are killed by hurricanes, but no evidence of this being true was
found during the investigation. There is a great shifting of
populations as a result of these storms since the high storm tides
cover all of the vegetation and the strong winds drive the birds
inland where many are killed with clubs in the hands of local
people.
Storm tides during the nesting season could be very damaging if the waves became strong enough to destroy the eggs. Generally, people believe that the marsh hen constructs its nest in such a manner as to allow the nest to float, on the tide, up and down the surrounding grass stalks, and when storm tides
rise above the grass the nests and eggs float free into the shore where they are destroyed by waves. Three or four persons have insisted that they have found dozens of nests with eggs still in the nest floating freely along the shores after a storm tide.
This study has not substantiated any of these statements.
Very little recent work has been done on the clapper rail.
A report on "Nesting Habits of the Clapper Rail in New Jersey"
by E. L. Kozicky and F. V. Schmidt (1949) has been published
in the Auk. The data contained in this paper on the Northern
clapper rail and the findings of this study are essentially in agreement. Differences that occur are chiefly due to the dif-
ferences in habitat.
1

CLAPPER RAIL HABITAT
The salt marsh of the coast of Georgia is one of the largest in the United States. The total acreage of actual salt marsh vegetation is 308,177 acres. If all the brackish marsh be in-
cluded the area would be near 350,000 acres. This figure does not include the area occupied by the sounds, rivers and creeks,
nor the area of islands in the salt marsh. This is the habitat of
Wayne's clapper rail and the area with which this study has been concerned.
Attached to this report are two maps which show the
principal types of vegetation and their location along the coast
of Georgia. The maps also show the location of the study
areas which will be discussed later in this report.
MAPPING TECHNIQUE
The two maps of the U. S. Coast and Geodetic Survey which cover the coast of Georgia were used as base maps. The scale of these maps is 1 :80,000.
Aerial photos were purchased from the U. S. Army Air
A Forces and used in mapping the vegetation. small cub type
airplane circled areas of marsh while an observer plotted the vegetation type upon the aerial photos. This information was then transferred to the base map. Field work in the marsh
substantiated the identification of the grass type.
In mapping the marsh, an attempt was made to use a boat
on high tide. This method was not effective because the observer could not determine how far the grass type extended
from the river's edge.
THE SALT MARSH
A well ordered ecological study of the marsh has not been
made since that particular type of study was not a part of the
project. However, to best describe the marsh one might start
from mean low tide and proceed to name the major plants
encountered ascending to a level above the reach of extreme
high tides. The names of the grasses follow Small's Manual of
the Southeastern Flora (1933).
12

Pine, Palmetto & Cedar
Baccharjs sp. Myrica sp. Iva sp.
Spartina patens
Distchlis sp.
The tide condition along the coast of Georgia is an important factor influencing the marsh vegetation. Due to the
slightly concave effect of Georgia's shore line the tide normally
rises higher in this State than in the neighboring states. The
range in tide between high and low is fairly large, the natural
rise being somewhere between six and nine feet above mean
low water. Because of this, the bulk of the marsh land falls into the cord grass, (Spartina alterniflora), zone. The following aerial photograph shows a part of this cord grass marsh and the characteristic drainage pattern of the marsh.
The band of vegetation between the upland and the cord
grass zone is from three to ten feet wide. It is usually black rush, (Juncus Roemerianus ) , or salt grass, (Spartina patens).
This zone is so narrow, when present at all, that it could not
be mapped upon the scale map used.
Spotted throughout the marsh are small areas of woody glasswort, (Salicornia sp.), and sea ox eye, (Borrichia sp.). These areas are usually only a few square feet in extent. The woody glasswort and sea ox eye appear where the ground rises
above the cord grass zone. This occurs rather frequently at tr mouths of natural drainage ditches where the overflowing has raised a levee above the surrounding marsh.
1'3

a
C<5
min
O
-ua O
U
14

Without the influence of a large amount of fresh water,
the cord grass, (Spartina alterniflora), zone is a pure stand of
the species except where the woody glasswort and sea ox eye
appear as discussed above.
THE CORD GRASS MARSH
The cord grass marsh occupies the largest area of the salt marsh. The grass varies in height from eight inches to six or
eight feet. Although there is this difference in height, the grass appears from a distance to be nearly level. This is apparently due to the cord grass' sensitivity to water level. Within the cord grass marsh there are usually three zones of grass which vary in
height and density. The profile diagram below shows the posi-
tion of the three zones in this marsh.

Medium Grass Zone

Short Grass Zone

TdSS Zon<

The Tall Grass Zone: The cord grass of this zone grows on the edge of all the natural drainage ditches, creeks and rivers. The soil here is a very soft mud. There are on the average 110 plants per square yard. The plants are from four to ten feet tall. The primary food of the clapper rail, the Square-back
Fiddler Crab, (Sesarma sp.), lives in this habitat. This zone is apparently of secondary importance to the clapper rail in nest-
ing habitat preference.
The zone of tall cord grass grades off gradually into the medium cord grass zone. The following photograph shows the
height of this grass.
The Medium Grass Zone: This zone is not always distinct from
the tall and short grass zones. The primary factor accounting
for this zone is apparently the height of the levee that is formed
by tide water overflowing the marsh since this zone grows on the gentle slope of the levee away from the gut.* This zone
*Small drainage ditches which are usually dry at low water.
1:)

s
to
6
w
16

pears to develop best on the shore opposite the cut side of the
river where conditions are better for the formation of a levee. On
such a levee the zone may be 20 or 30 feet wide. Under less favorable conditions this zone may be only two or three feet
wide. The soil of this zone is firmer than that in the tall grass zone. The Fiddler Crabs, (Uca, sp.), are very abundant in this
zone. There are on the average 288 plants per square yard in
the medium zone. This grass is two to four feet tall.
The medium zone of grass is very important in nesting of the
clapper rail, since the largest percentage of nests are located
in this type of grass. The first photograph of the following two
shows this zone of grass in the foreground.
The Short Grass zone: The grass of this zone grows in the lowest part of the marsh. The soil in this zone is firmly packed with a
high content of sand. There are 362 plants per square yard on the average in this type of marsh. Their height is from five
A inches to two feet. small amount of nesting takes place in this
zone but is not important nesting habitat. Periwinkle snails,
(Littorina irrorata), are usually very abundant in this zone. The short grass is shown in the second photograph.
THE BLACK RUSH MARSH
The areas of black rush, (Juncus Roemerianus ) , along the
coast are not nearly as large as the cord grass areas and the
growth pattern is much different. Black rush grows back away
from the edge of the ditches and creeks except where water action is undercutting the banks. Cord grass nearly always grows between the edge of the water and the black rush.
The black rush marsh grows at a higher level from mean
low water than does the cord grass marsh. Johnson and York (1915) in their book "The Relation of Plants to Tide Levels"
state that the altitude levels for cord grass are: lower limit 1.5
ft., upper limit 6.50 ft. and, for Juncus Gerardi lower limit 7.25
ft., upper limit 8.25 ft. These measurements are from mean low water. They further state that J. Gerardi is usually separated from the cord grass by a band of salt grass, (Spartina patens).
This is not true along the coast of Georgia. However, the Juncus in Georgia is J. Roemerianus and not J. Gerardi. This difference
in species may reflect a difference in tolerance to submergence,
i;

o s
CO
C/3
u
o
u O
U
18

v.
o
c/5
a
O
S-i
O
V
o
19

or some other equally important factor of distribution which permits the lower limit of J. Roemerianus to be nearer the upper
limit of the cord grass.
Under favorable conditions black rush grows to a height of about four feet. The thin stalks are easily blown into a tangled mass and their sharp points make passage through the tangles
very difficult.
Clapper rail foods are generally abundant in areas of black rush, but rail are not usually found in large areas of the vegeta-
tion except about the edges. The following photograph shows
the darker areas of black rush invading the cord grass marsh.
ABANDONED RICE MARSH
Old abandoned rice fields in the salt marsh that were once diked and cultivated are interesting mixtures of marsh vegeta-
tion but they are not important areas to the clapper rail.
These areas are now grown up in black rush, salt reed grass, (Spartina cynosuroides , and cord grass. Where these areas are
)
subjected to considerable fresh water and little tidal action, the
principal plants are water millet, w (Zizaniopsis sp.), Tild rice, (Zizania sp.), bulrush, (Scirpus sp.), Peltandra sp., and many
other associated species.
FOOD HABITS
In gathering the food habits data the primary purpose was to learn the preferences of Wayne's clapper rail (Rallus longirostris waynei). However, due to the manner in which the gizzards of the birds were collected it seems very probable that some gizzards were taken from the Northern clapper rail, (Ral-
lus longirostris crepitans). The winter range of this bird over-
laps that of the Wayne's clapper rail. Because of this fact it has
been necessary to list the findings as the food habits of the clap-
per rail, (Rallus longirostris). The bulk of the data represents
the gizzard contents of Wayne's clapper rail.
The clapper rail does not possess a crop; therefor, the giz-
zard was used in the food habits determination. These gizzards were collected in this manner. Just preceding the 1947 hunting
20

J3
03
s
s
c/j t/5
a3
o
S-i
O
a
bo
c
03
3 s
a
<o
3 3
J3
c/l
U
o3
21

season, four ounce glass bottles containing formaldehyde were distributed to nearly all of the boat landing owners along the entire coast of Georgia. These landing owners agreed to fill the jars with gizzards taken from the hunters kill and record the date, place and height of the tide on a sticker on the outside of the bottle. Cooperation in collecting the gizzards was excellent. There were 669 gizzards collected during the 1947 hunting
season.
The findings of this report are representative of the food habits for October and November only. All of the gizzards
taken were from birds killed on the highest rise of the tide. This means that the birds were probably killed at least two hours
after they could have fed. One would expect to find the gizzards
contents in about the same stage of digestion. This was not the case. The ranges were at all possible extremes both in volume of content and in stage of digestion. Gizzards ranged in volume
from completely empty to 6.2 cc. The content range in stages
of digestion was from finely ground material to whole bodies of insects and crabs.
METHOD OF ANALYSIS
Of the 669 gizzards collected, 118 were either completely empty or had a volume too small to measure; consequently,
these were removed. There remained 551 records. It was believed that because of the small number of different foods taken and due to the lack of a crop it would be entirely justifiable to use the gizzards that were less than one-quarter full. Gizzards less than one-quarter full are usually discarded (Martin, Gensch
and Brown 1946). The largest volume of the series was arbi-
trarily selected as a full gizzard. Consequently, the data was compiled using all of the different volumes. It was also compiled after the records (267) had been taken out that did not contain the volume of one-quarter of a full gizzard. These two
A techniques of compilation were tested statistically. significant
difference was found indicating that the data would be distorted if the volumes of less than a quarter full were used. Therefore,
the following list represents the food of 284 clapper rail collected
in October and November 1947 along the entire coast of Georgia.
The percentage of volume figure indicates the amount of each particular food found on the average in a gizzard. The
22

percentage of occurrence figure shows the number of times it was selected. In all cases the figures following the food names are the amounts of that particular food in so far as it could be
identified.

Clapper Rail Foods

% By

PARASATIC WORMS, Ascaridae

Vol. traces

SNAILS

Littorina irrorata

14

Melampus sp., Nassarius obsoleta, Polygyra sp. traces

CLAMS, Molulidae
CLAM WORMS, Nereis sp.

traces traces

SHRIMPS, Peneus setiferus and Palemonetes sp. traces
CRABS

Sesarma cinereum

33

Sesarma reticulatum

15

Sesarma sp.

6

Uca sp. (with traces of Uca pugilator)

14

Eurytium limosum

3

Panopeus herbstii

1

Unidentified crabs

2

Callinectes sp. and Pinnotheridae

traces

INSECTS

-- Phalaenidae ( Noctuidae)

6

Other insects, listed below

3

Undet. Orthopetera, undet. Tettigoniidae,

undei. Acrididae, Neoconocephalus triops,

undet. Gryllidae, Gryllus assimilis, Scapteris-

cus sp., Schistocerca americana, Melanoplus sp., Blattidae, undet. Dermaptera, Anisolabis sp., Hemiptera, Pentatomidae, Acantocephala declivis and A. sp., Leptoglossus phyllopus, undet. Lepidoptera, Diptera, Hylobius pales, Sphenophorus sp., undet. Hymenoptera, un-
det. Icnneumonidae, Gambrus bituminosus,

Crematogaster sp., apis mellifera
SPIDERS, Lycosa sp. and Clubiona sp.
FISH, Poeciliidae and Fundulus sp.
PLANTS, Spartina, mainly S. alterniflora

traces traces traces

% By
Occ.
37
58 37
17
45
17
1
12

97%
2b

This is the compilation of foods and the volumes in percent which should be found in the average gizzard of a clapper rail in
October or November in Georgia.
The important fact to be learned from this work is the food preference of the rail. Is the food that was selected and found in the gizzard in the greatest volume its preference? The fact
that it was there in the largest volume does not necessarily prove its preference. However, the percentage of occurrence figure shows by its ratio to the volume that the largest volume food was
selected the greatest number of times. Therefore, this tends to
indicate that the food with the largest volume is the bird's pref-
erence. It is not yet conclusive. The primary point is that, of
the foods available it appears that the rail prefers the foods in the descending order of large volumes first.
FOOD AVAILABILITY
It has been observed that the Square-backed Fiddler Crabs,
Sesarma sp., occur in the marsh in the softer mud along the
sloughs and creeks. They are more solitary crabs than the Common Fiddler Crabs, (Uca, sp.). The former do not appear to be
as abundant as the latter, yet the data shows that the Square-
backed Fiddler Crabs are the preferred food. The first of the
following pictures shows the Square-backed Fiddler Crabs with
Sesarma reticulatum on the left. The other two small crabs are S. cinereum. The S. reticulatum is the larger of the two and its back is much more convex.
It is possible in the gizzard analysis to separate the two species on the basis of the movable finger of the claw. Sesarma reticulatum has a single straight row of hard nodules following the curve of the claw on the dorsal surface. There are from 3 to 4
nodules in the females and 7 or 8 in the males. The dorsal sur-
face of the movable finger in S. cinereum is "pebblcy , ' with similar nodules which do not follow a straight line.
The Common Fiddler Crabs, (Uca, sp.), arc found most
often on the higher ground in the marsh. They are usually very abundant. The second picture shows two large male Uca. sp.
in the rear with a female in between.
The manner in which the clapper rail handles the large claw of the male is interesting. The bird grasps the crab with its bill
24

between the claw and the body. Then holding the crab, it vigorously shakes its head. The claw goes one way and the crab another. The bird then runs over and picks up the body and swallows it. The female crabs do not get the same treatment
because both of their claws are of nearly equal size.
The third photograph is that of the crab, (Eurytium limo-
sum). It is fairly abundant and seems to be found mostly in the
higher marsh. The mud crab, (Panopeus herbstii), is very simi-
lar in appearance to E. limosum and is found in the same habitat conditions. Eurytium appears to be the most abundant.
The periwinkle snail, (Littorina irrorata), shown in the
Square-backed Fiddler Crabs (Sesarma reticulatum and S. cinereum)
Common Fiddler Crabs (Uca Sp.)
2[>

Eurytium limosum
fourth photograph is common over all the marsh. It is ingested whole by the rail and as many as 48 have been found in a single
gizzard.
NESTING
TIME OF NESTING
During the latter part of February the marsh hens which
have been seen on the mud banks at low tide disappear. Areas
which were filled with the rail's song are quiet and it becomes
almost impossible to find a clapper rail. The birds are "court-
ing" and withdrawing into a concentration on the breeding areas. This leaves sections of the marsh deserted.
Searches for nests usually began by the 15th of March.
The first nest was located in 1948, 1949 and 1950 on April 13th, April 20th and April 24th, respectively. They contained six eggs, three eggs and one egg. The photograph at the beginning of this report shows a typical marsh hen nest.
MATING HABITS
Because of the marsh hen's secretive habits it has been very
A difficult to gather much positive data on its mating habits.
meager amount of observational data indicates that the rail is
26

\
o
03
a,
.*'
2/

monogamous. Rather frequently two birds were found about a nest that was being incubated. Occasionally during the nesting season in areas of nesting one would see two marsh hens rise and
fly a short distance over the marsh.
Several birds were sprayed with bright colored paint in an effort to check on renesting. In one instance a bird was painted
as it sat on a clutch of eggs. The following day an unpainted
bird was found on the nest incubating the eggs. This tends to indicate that the male and female carry on incubation together. Occasionally two adults would be seen with an average size brood of young marsh hens. This information would tend to
indicate that the birds are monogamous and that the male not
only helps with incubation but assists in the rearing of the young.
All data, as the preceding and that which follows, were gathered by working on foot in the marsh.

NESTING HABITAT

The people along the coast of Georgia have generally assumed that the marsh hen nested anywhere in the salt marsh
and that it built its nest in the tall grass bordering the ditches and creeks. Actually, few people had observed any nests.

Since so little was known about the nesting, this phase of work was begun in 1948 by setting up four principal study areas. The areas were accurately measured off and stakes placed at
each corner. These study areas, which were selected at random,
were:

AREA

SIZE

Brickhill River Area Wolf Island Area St. Catherine's Island Area Rockdedundy Area

20 acres 20 acres 20 acres 20 acres

VEGETATION
Cord grass Cord grass Cord grass
Black rush

These study areas and the areas used are shown on the attached map.

The first three of these areas were entirely the same species
of grass and apparently there was little difference in the areas.
Yet each differed in the amount of tall, medium and short cord grass. The Wolf Island Area had an abundance of very short grass between the small ditches. The borders of these ditches

28

had a fine stand of tall cord grass. There was practically no
medium height vegetation between the very short and tall grass.
On the St. Catherine's Island Area the picture was the same
except that the short grass was four to six inches taller and the
medium height grass was present as a band two or three feet
wide behind the tall grass.
The Brickhill River Area was nearly the same in appearance except that the medium zone of grass was considerably wider
and the short grass, while about the same height as that of the St. Catherine's Area, was more dense in growth.
The Rockdedundy Area was the usual tangled mass of black
rush. It had cord grass present only along the ditches.
The Brickhill River Area was the only one of the four that
produced any nests.
From the nest location data gathered in 1948, it was learned that 68.5% of the nesting attempts were located in the medium
height zone of cord grass. Apparently all of the marsh is not
suitable nesting habitat and since the amount of medium height
grass is the only outstanding difference between the productive and nonproductive areas, further work was planned to study the
effect of this medium zone of grass.

In 1949 the Brickhill River Area was enlarged ten acres on
each end, making the Area a total of 40 acres. The Area was increased in size in order that more nests might be held under
observation for nesting success information. Three additional areas were selected. These were as follows:

AREA

SIZE

Todd Creek Area 20 acres
Terry's Creek Area 10 acres Back River Area 10 acres

VEGETATION
Spartina alterniflora Spartina alterniflora Spartina alterniflora

The Todd and Terry's Creek Areas were selected because they contained a large amount of the medium height grass. The Back River Area was used as a check area. The amount of medium height grass on this Area was low compared to the
other areas. This check area was similar to the plot at St.
therine's in 1948.

!9

In 1948 none of the areas were productive of nests except the 20 acre Brickhill Area which held fifteen nesting attempts. In 1949 on the 40 acre Brickhill Area there were fifty-nine at-
tempts. The Todd Creek Area had seventeen attempts and the Terry's Creek Area had only two. The Back River check area
had no nesting attempts.

It would seem from this information that the amount of
medium grass on the area is the determining factor in nesting
habitat. However, a reasonable doubt might arise to this due
to the large difference in the number of nesting attempts on the
different areas. Observational data gathered on these areas during the year indicates a difference between the less productive areas and the Brickhill River Area.

The three productive areas of 1949 all contained about the same amount of medium height grass. But there was a distinct
difference in the location of the grass. On the more productive

Brickhill River Area the medium height band of grass bordered
the tall grass which grows along the edge of the gut. On the

Todd and Terry's Creek Areas the medium height grass grew

On in a different location.

these areas this grass was most often

found as a wide band in the center of an expanse of short grass

where a small ditch had gradually filled in with silt. Correlated

with this difference is the difference in the number of nesting

attempts.

Apparently the most suitable nesting habitat is that which
has a wide band of medium height grass bordering the tall grass
along a c^eek or ditch.

During the 1950 nesting season a major effort was made to locate, by the use of an airplane and boat, areas of medium
height cord grass. These areas were checked during the peak of nesting only for "nesting attempts". Twenty-seven areas were checked, and eleven of these, which supported considerable medium height cord grass parallel to a ditch or a creek, contained
several nesting attempts.

It is then concluded that there is a definite preference for
nesting in the medium type cord grass that borders the tall grass
along a small ditch or creek.

30

NESTING SUCCESS
The use of the terms "nesting attempt" and "nesting suc-
cess" should be clarified as to the usage in this report. A "nesting
attempt" is not always a successful nesting, and a "nesting success" always represent at least one nesting attempt. In the preceding discussion the term "nesting attempt" has been used fre-
quently. The manner in which it was used should not be misinterpreted to indicate the number of birds on the areas discussed. That point will be taken up later.
In 1948 there were 16 nesting attempts held under observation. Fifteen of the attempts were on the Brickhill Area and
one was just off the area a short distance. Of the fifteen attempts on the area, fourteen were successful. One was a failure. The
success of nesting attempts on the Brickhill Area was 93.3%.
The success for all the nesting attempts under observation in
1948 was 87.5%.
During 1949 there were a great many more nesting attempts
A under observation. total of eighty-two nests were located on
and off the different areas. Of these eighty-two nesting attempts
the successful ones amounted to only 36.6%. All of the nesting successes located in 1948 and 1949 were on the Brickhill River study area. There were no known successful nests on the Todd Creek Area even though there were at least seventeen attempts, nor were there any successful nests on the Terry's Creek or Back
River Areas.
In order that the results of the nesting on the Brickhill
River Area may be directly compared, the following table is
presented:

BRICKHILL RIVER AREA (20 ACRES & 40 ACRES) :-

Nesting attempts
Successful nests i prrpntnp^p or
nesting success

1948 20
Acres

1949 20-40 Acres Acres

1950 20-40 Acres Acres

15

39

59

25

25

14

19

30

12

18

93.3% 48.7% 50.8% 48.0% 36..

*The original twenty acres was enlarged by adding ten acres to two opposin

The data were kept separately in order to give results of twenty ai

th

years and forty acres for two years.

31

NESTING DISCUSSION
The percentage of nesting success given in the table above may be somewhat misleading. The percentage figures show only the ratio between the number of nesting attempts and the number of successes. As an example, the percentage figures of 1949 should not be interpreted to mean that of all the birds on the area only 48.7% or 50.8% nested successfully.
In the discussion of nesting populations which follows later,
the birds per acre figures are based upon the number of success-
ful nests and not derived from the percentage of nesting success.
It is important that these distinctions be made in order that the
data be correctly interpreted into conditions in the marsh. Although there are no factual data available it is believed that nearly all of the breeding birds eventually hatch a successful nest during the nesting season.
Therefore, there is a recognized error in the birds per acre
figure in the amount of the number of pairs of birds that did not
successfully hatch a clutch of eggs during the nesting season. This figure might possibly be rather high but in all probability
it makes up only a small percent of the population.

NESTING POPULATIONS

The only technique available at this time for determining the number of clapper rail per acre is to count all the nests on a
given area.

Since all observations indicate that the bird is monogamous
it would be logical to assume that each successful nest probably indicates one pair of birds. This study has not revealed the fact that the birds have more than one brood a year; therefore, it shall be assumed in this report that the birds have only one brood each year. Considering these assumptions, on the basis of the number of nesting success, these data are presented for the Brick-
hill River Area:

1948

1949

1950

20

20-40

20-40

Acres Acres Acres Acres Acres

Birds Per Acre

1.4

1.9

1.5

1.2

0.9

It must be emphasized that these figures cannot properly

32

be applied to the total area of the salt marsh since the amount of preferred nesting habitat is not known.
Since counting the number of successful nests per acre is the
only census technique used it is important to note that there is
a definite way in which to judge whether or not a nest is successful. The clapper rail does not leave the piped egg shell in the
nest after hatching, so one cannot, by examining the egg shell, determine whether or not the eggs hatched successfully. As each chick hatches, the adult bird, or birds, remove the shell from the
nest. The net result is that a nest which on one day holds several eggs is the next day empty. Some predators remove the eggs
completely which would give the nest the appearance of hatching successfully. There is, however, one additional fact that prevents the observer from classifying the destroyed nest as successful. As the chicks pip the egg and emerge from the shell,
fragments of egg shell less than a square inch in size are jostled into the nest material. These small fragments can be located
by removing the top layer of nesting material. The presence of
these small fragments indicates that the nest hatched success-
fully. The following picture shows these fragments in the nest-
ing material.
Gathering chronological data can be helpful in checking
on nesting success. Data of this type was kept whenever possible. Through this information it was learned that the incubation period was on the average twenty days but with ranges from eighteen to twenty-two days. It was also noted that occasionally all eggs would hatch on one day with the exception of one or two, which would hatch one or two days later. Apparently, in some cases, incubation starts before the clutch is com-
pleted. In other instances incubation is probably delayed one or two days after the clutch is completed.
PREDA TORS
Racoons, mink and crows are probably the principal predators of the marsh hen. It is extremely difficult to gather data on this because the marsh is washed clean of nearly all sign every twelve hours. Racoons do the most damage during the nesting
A season. nest that was probably destroyed by raccoons is shown
in the following photograph. It is interesting to note that
1949 and 1950 the amount of raccoon sign in the salt ma
33

t/5
0)
c
<v
o a
CO <U
o
</)
bo .S
U
-a
c c
hJD
S-i
M

increased threefold over the amount seen in 1948. There is also
considerable difference in nesting success during these years.
Raccoons caused considerable damage on the Todd Creek
A Area in 1949. chronological chart of nesting was kept on this
Area. From the data, it was apparent that five pairs of birds
attempted to nest three times. Each nest was destroyed by raccoon. There was not a single nesting success on the Area during
the year. From these data, it is evident that the clapper rail will attempt nesting two or three times. It may also be surmised that when storms and the resultant storm tides hit during the nesting
season the nest damage may be severe, but renesting should nearly always make up for the loss. No severe storms occurred
at the nesting season during the three years of this study and so
no data can be presented as to the amount of damage these
storms do in the nesting period.

Several storms of near hurricane force occurred in the fall
of the year. These storms always blew the marsh hens inland where some were killed by people, but no birds could be found that were killed directly by the storms.

Locally, along the coast, people have believed that unusu-
ally high tides have resulted in severe damage to the nests and their eggs. They believe that the nests are so constructed as to allow the nest to float up and down along the guiding stems of grass. Such is not the case. The nest remains stationary and
the tide covers the eggs. It frequently covers the eggs to a con-
siderable depth.

Several measuring devices were constructed that measured the rise of the tide water above the ground. These devices were merely a narrow board stuck in the ground supporting a string
with a wooden float on one end and a lead sinker on the other.
As the tide rose above the ground the float rose also. When the
tide flowed out, the float remained in its highest position because the sinker was heavier than the float. This device measured the tide rises of:

Nest height above ground

Float height
above ground

Depth of water
above c^s

8 inches 8 inches 13 inches 9 inches

21 inches
21/2 inches 31/2 inches 28 inches

13 inches
12/2 inches
I8/2 inches 19 inch

35

be
Wbo
c
X
Si OS
T3 >^
Ou
*-J
u
36

All of the nests where the device was placed hatched success-
fully. Two of the nests were being incubated when they were
covered by the water.

Marsh hen nests are constructed of dead vegetation which

is jammed down into the surrounding grass, forming an inverted

cone. Often blades of the surrounding grass are folded into the

A pile, anchoring it in place.

roof is usually placed over the

eggs. This is done by pulling several blades of grass together
A over the nest. runway of matted grass from the edge of the

nest to the ground is usually evident.

During the three years 118 nests were measured; thirty

were located in the tall cord grass; 87 were found in medium

On height grass; and, one was located in the short grass.

the

average, the nests were located 458 feet from the nearest creek

to hold water at low tide. The extremes are 1200 feet to three

feet. The average distance between the nests and the nearest

small gut was twenty-seven feet with extremes from one foot to

110 feet.

The average nest was twenty feet from the nearest change in cover. The extremes ranged from eighty feet to three feet, the change in cover being tall, medium or short cord grass.

The nest height averaged 14.8 inches from the ground to
the egg level. Extremes were from nine inches to thirty inches.
From egg level to the tops of the surrounding grass the average
distance was twenty-six inches. Ranges were from fifteen inches
to forty-four inches. The average diameter of the nest was ten
inches.

The average size of the clutch was found to be 8.2 eggs per nest. The number ranged from five to fourteen eggs. There
was not any appreciable decrease in the size of the clutch toward the end of the nesting season, as might be expected with the considerable amount of nest destruction and the high amount of
renesting.

Coincidental with the first hatching of the eggs there appears in areas of nesting small constructed platforms which
resemble nests which were not completed. None of these plat-
forms were ever used as nests, nor has any definite use b recorded. It is possible that these are used by the adults in brc ing the young during periods of high tide. Although cla

37

rail arc precocial, they do occasionally use their nests for one or two days after hatching.
CENSUS TECHNIQUES
The estimates of rail populations were based on a census of
the successful nest on a given area. This technique was used because it is the most accurate method available.
Attempts were made to devise other census techniques. To this end, a variation of the "roadside census" was employed.
Using a rowboat and outboard an observer covered at low tide
a mile of shoreline through the cord grass marsh. The rail were
counted feeding upon the mud flats. The same area was covered
repeatedly and it was noted that during low tides at dawn and
dusk the largest numbers of birds were counted. Adverse weather
conditions, especially strong winds, considerably reduced the
number of birds counted over the census area. Although such factors as time of day and weather conditions can be interpo-
lated there is no way to correlate the number of birds seen on
the shore with the number of birds per acre or per hundred acres
in the marsh.
Occasionally when a shot gun is fired in the marsh the rail
will start to sing. It was believed that the birds could be counted as they sang. In order to develop this into a census method a gun was fired at different times of the day and at different stages of the tide. The results were not satisfactory since the birds did not always sing after the shot was fired.
A long heavy rope was pulled through marsh in an attempt
to flush the birds. Although birds could be heard singing in the area, none were flushed.
The Brickhill River nesting study area was censused in
October of 1949 on a high marsh hen tide. A boat and motor
was used to flush all the birds from the forty acre tract. Fiftythree birds were flushed. This amounts to 1.3 birds per acre. It is interesting to note that there were 1.5 birds per acre according
to the nesting season census.
The St. Catherine's Island Area was censused at high tide in
38

October 1948. This area which had no nesting attempts produced fifteen birds in one hour and fifteen minutes. Circum-
stances prevented a complete coverage of this area.
HUNTING CLAPPER RAIL
Marsh hens are hunted in two ways; on low tide and on
high tide. Low water hunting is done as the bird comes down from the grass to feed upon the mud flats. The hunter kills the
birds as he moves along the water edge in his boat.
High water hunting is done when a north quadrant wind
forces a high "natural rise" tide above the tops of the grass. Such
a tide is called a "marsh hen tide". It may well be ten to twelve
feet above low water in height.
A north quadrant wind is necessary to produce a marsh hen
tide. Without this wind the height of the tide may be only that of the natural rise of about nine feet, or the wind may blow from the west and instead of adding to the tide it may hold the water
back and the height of the tide be less than that of the predicted
natural rise.
It should be emphasized that the direction of the wind as it influences the height of the tide is an important factor in determining the number of hunters and their success. Frequently the conditions of wind and tide appear to be correct for a successful hunt but the tide's rise, although high enough to permit travel in a boat over the marsh, is not high enough for a good
kill. The resultant poor success is due to the birds reluctance to
fly. Until a certain height of tide is reached the clapper rail will
swim and dive at the approach of the hunter. As the tide becomes higher it can no longer escape in this manner and it will flush from the grass. These conditions often lead the hunter to
believe that there are no birds in the area, whereas another six
inches rise of tide would have made a large number of rail avail-
A able to him. high tide without the proper wind is not suitable
for hunting marsh hens. Furthermore, the tide mus; reach the
flushing point to insure a satisfactory kill.
When hunting upon a marsh hen tide the hunter has in tl
39

past cither poled his boat or used a motor to propel him over the water and through the grass.

TECHNIQUES OF INVESTIGATION
The bulk of the hunting efforts against the clapper rail are
made on a "marsh hen tide". Low water hunting is not done in
a large volume because it is not by any means the sporting method of high water hunting.
Fortunately for the investigation, the method of high water hunting lends itself very well to a census of hunting efforts. The
height of the natural rise of the tide can be predicted far in advance. If the wind direction is suitable at the time of the high natural tide, then the hunters will be out at the same time of day because the duration of the marsh hen tide is about two hours in length.
Consequently, on the days suitable for hunting on high tide two airplanes with observers were sent out to count each hunter. In this manner, a count, accurate for all practical purposes, is
made of the hunting efforts for the clapper rail season.
Since the hunters use boats they usually rent them from fishing camps along the coast. It has been found satisfactory to count their kill as they return to the camps and arrive at an average kill per hunting effort. This has been done by the use of
a printed form distributed to fishing camp owners along the en-
tire coast.

THE HUNTING SEASONS

The past three hunting seasons have, for the most part, been
quite different one from another.

In 1947, the first year of this project, the hunters were permitted to use an outboard motor in hunting rail. It was a season in which the winds favored the hunter and blew from the northcast during the high natural rise tides. There were by actual
count 10.200 hunting efforts during the rail season. On the
basis of a questionnaire distributed to the boat landing owners there were 85,680 birds killed.

During

this

season

ll

c
/c

of the

hunters

used

an outboard

40

exclusively and another 11.2% used it partly in their hunting
efforts.

Just prior to the 1948 open season the U. S. Fish & Wildlife
Service announced that it was unlawful to shoot clapper rail from a power driven boat and that all violators would be apprehended. This was in keeping with the law since the Treaty with Mexico in 1937 classed the clapper rail as "considered" migratory and furthermore prohibited the use of power driven boats
in hunting migratory birds.

Partially as a result of this new strong enforcement, the
hunting efforts against clapper rail dropped in 1948 from 10,200 to 3,830. Tide conditions during this year were not as favorable as the preceding year, but even so this alone would not account
for the marked decrease in hunting efforts. The annual kill was
determined to be 25,335 birds.

During the year 1949 tide conditions were nearly as good

A as in 1948.

total of 4,825 hunting efforts were counted and

from the data on average kill, obtained at the boat landings,

45,303 birds were killed.

On the graphs attached, the actual heights of the tides are
plotted. One can quickly see the small differences between the
three years in the number of marsh hen tides.

A summary of the hunting season data* is presented here:

DATE

HUNTING

AVERAGE KILL

EFFORTS

PER H.E.

1947 1948 1949 1947 1948 1949

TOTAL KILL

1947

1948

1949

Oct. 1 -15

2,649

75

7.8

3.5

20,662

263

Oct. 16-31

747 3,800

4.2

11.2

3,137 12,560

Nov. 1 -15

334

50

4.3

1.0

1,436

50

Nov. 16-30

100 900

1.0

2.7

100 2,430

Total

10,200 3,830 4,825 8.4

85.680 25.335 15,3o:l

*The kill data for 1947 was arrived at by multiplying the number of hunting effoitv
10,200, by the average kill, 8.4, taken from a questionnaire distributed to the landing owners.

41

--

-- 12 Ft.

FT. PULASKI

II Ft.

ACTUAL RISE OF TIDE

.._*... ...s~.. .i,a*_

Mt:A
i

IN

V ut:K

C ;t(DB EF

IQA7

18

19 -

...

-- ...

10 Ft.

/

/

> *

/
9 Ft. 1
/

8 Ft.

i
*
rmm

\
\
i
\
\ '1 #

7 Ft.


^

\ * .

1

\I
*
f

'-

9
< 1



%
>
t
* 1

f
\

1
\

^^

%

<

*

\

\

I

\
r**

i
1

\
%

^pfl
/
7

*



i



%

i

/

i

V

*

i

L.. //

/

\

i

)^i

1

i

i

%
%

1

b



\

>

\/

6 Ft.

5 Ft. 4 Ft. 3 Ft.

2 Ft.

I Ft.

1
I 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 1 1 12 13 14 15 16 II 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31

12 Ft.
II Ft.
1947 10 Ft.
9 Ft. 8 Ft.

FT. PULASKI
ACTUAL RISE OF TIDE MEAN HIGH WATER
NOVEMBER

1948

1949

T Ft.
6 Ft. 5 Ft. 4 Ft.

3 Ft. 2 Ft.

I Ft.

t--r
I 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 II 12 1314 15 16 17 18 19 20 2122 23 24 25 26 27 28 2a

The high hunting effort figure of 1947 is mainly due to the fact that the use of the outboard motor made marsh hen hunting a fine sport for a large number of people. The conclusion
is that prohibiting the use of a power driven boat has removed
the sport from many of its patrons. It remains for only those people who can either afford to hire a person to pole a boat (at
approximately $8.00 per hunt) or, have sufficient physical ability to do so themselves.
By collecting clapper rail on a high tide some information
on sex and age ratio data is now available. This information
has been taken from birds which were killed on high tide and represents a better random sample than if the data had included birds killed on low water.
These data are for August, September, October, November and, in part, December of 1949. The age ratio data was gath-
ered using the Bursa technique. This technique is not reliable
in Georgia for the month of December.

BASED ON NUMBER OF BIRDS

MALE FEMALE YOUNG

OLD

August

.7

September 1.5

October

1.1

November

.9

December 2.0

1.0

2.4

1.0

1.0

7.1

1.0

1.0

1.7

1.0

1.0

3.3

1.0

1.0 Bursa Character not Reliable

Very little can be learned from one year's data. If several years' information were available it could be interpreted and
recommendations on the season made in accordance with the
proper removal of the older birds. Data of this type is very
important to the setting of the hunting season.

RAIL MIGRATION
Enforcement of the law prohibiting the use of an outboard motor in hunting marsh hens caused considerable discussion
among sportsmen as to the migratory status of the clapper rail.
This study has not been able to gather any factual proof that would answer these discussions.
44

There are two ways of considering the topic of migration
of clapper rail. Legally, the Treaty with Mexico, signed in 1937, classified all rail as "considered migratory". In so far
as is known all of the rail are migratory, although the distance
these birds may move in their migration is considerably dif-
ferent. The Northern clapper rail migrates from as far north
as New Jersey to Georgia. Wayne's clapper rail, the resident
bird of Georgia, moves in the winter only a few miles south of its breeding range and does not entirely leave the northern limit of the breeding range. This is more of a population shift than a "migration". This point was established by collection of speci-
mens throughout the years by members of the U. S. Fish &
Wildlife Service. There is as yet no banding data to substan-
tiate these collection records.
TRAPPING METHODS
Many attempts were made to live trap and band these birds
but no method was devised that would work into other phases of the study and still provide a large number of birds for
banding.
A funnel type trap was constructed and baited with corn
and small fish. This method did not succeed. Tide action washed the bait away from the trap before the hens had an
opportunity to start feeding at the trap; prevention of the cap-
tured birds from being drowned by high tide would have been a problem of this method had any birds been trapped.
A variation of this type trap was tried. Using the funnel
trap, long leads of wire were staked out from the entrance to
A the trap. drive was then conducted toward the trap. It was
believed that the birds could be driven into the trap. One bird
was trapped in this manner; however, under the conditions of
mud and tall grass the birds could not be driven a long dis-
tance. They either darted back through the line of drivers or
they flushed and flew out of range of the drive. If a fairly large concentration of birds could be found, then a part of the number could probably be trapped in this manner. Since moving a trap this size was very difficult, a long net of fine black mesh thread was used. This net was stretched in the marsh between
two stakes. The bottom edge was weighted to the ground and
a drive again staged. Even though this technique was tri
45

several times, the birds could not be driven up to the net where it was expected that they would tangle in the fine thread of
the net.
Several attempts were made to capture the birds alive by
using a long handled dip net on extreme high tides. A man
with the net was placed in the bow of a small boat. He was to
dip up the birds from the water or catch them in the net as
they flushed. One bird was banded in this manner. Tides high
enough to use this method effectively do not occur often enough to make this a practical trapping technique.
DISCUSSION
It is necessary at this point to take stock of the present
status of this project and to concern ourselves with the use of the data that have thus far been gathered on the clapper rail.
It has been learned that in regard to nesting there is a
definite preference for the medium type cord grass that borders
a small ditch or creek. An amount of this grass sufficient to
account for the nesting of this bird has not been located.
However, one can, with the present information, make a more or less scientific apraisal of breeding conditions correlated
with the annual kill by hunting. This approach is justified
since we are interested in removing the annual surplus by hunting methods and by making this appraisal we can tell whether
or not hunters are killing a part of the breeding reserve each year. If they are doing this, then it will eventually lead to such
a depleted population that there will be no birds to hunt. The
primary objective of this study has been to determine if this is
true.
From the nesting data in 1948 it was learned that, using a random sample of four, twenty-acre plots, three of which
were cord grass, there were 14 pairs of nesting birds or one bird per two acres on these three cord grass areas.
The vegetation map shows that there are 253,153 acres of
cord grass salt marsh. There are then 126,576 breeding adult birds or 63,288 pairs resident in this marsh. In addition, this
number of birds hatched an average of 8.2 eggs per pair. With-
out taking into consideration juvenile loss, the population would
46

be 126,576 adults, plus 518,961 young, making a total population of 645,577 birds. Since there are no data on juvenile loss,
they will be assumed in order that the appraisal may be con-
tinued. If juvenile losses between hatching and the beginning of the hunting season were as high as 70%, then at the begin-
ning of the hunting season the number of adults would still be
near 126,576 birds, plus a survival of 155,689 birds of the year,
the total population then being 282,265 birds. At this point in the appraisal the age ratio would be 1.2 young to 1.0 old bird. Actual age ratio data gathered in the field using random sampling conditions showed a ratio at the end of September as be-
ing 7.1 young to 1.0 old bird. The ratio for September indi-
cates that the estimate of 70% juvenile loss must be very high. However, using the 70% loss figure, there are at least
282,265 birds available to the hunter, plus whatever the num-
ber of Northern clapper rail that migrates as far south as Geor-
gia, plus the migrating Wayne's clapper rail that come from North and South Carolina.
The hunting season surveys show that in 1947 approxi-
--mately 85,680 birds were killed; in 1948--25,335--and, in 1949 45,303. This annual kill does not approach the kill that could
safely be made without damaging the breeding stock.
Sportsmen who hunt marsh hens often do not find any birds. They naturally are inclined to feel that there is a low
population of birds. Usually what hapens to give this impression is that they have hunted on a high tide that did not quite rise to the level of a good "marsh hen tide". Since the water did not rise above the marsh hen's cover, the bird would not
flush as the hunter approached. Until a certain point of high
tide is reached the marsh hen will usually dive to escape rather
than flush. This trait leads sportsmen to believe that there are not any birds to hunt.
RECOMMENDATION
In consideration of the data and this appraisal that has been
made and since the marsh hen can stand a considerable increase
in hunting pressure, IT IS STRONGLY RECOMMENDED
BY THIS PROJECT'S INVESTIGATOR THAT THE USE OF POWER DRIVEN BOATS BE PERMITTED IN HU ING CLAPPER RAIL, PROVIDING THE STATE GAMI
47

AND FISH COMMISSION EMPLOY THE MOST EFFECTIVE METHODS OF LAW ENFORCEMENT.
It has been determined that the most effective method of enforcing the laws pertaining to "marsh hen" shooting is to send a Wildlife Ranger with a boat and fast motor into the
marsh where he can be seen and recognized by the hunter. He
can most effectively check the hunters in the field. His presence will discourage any attempts to kill over the limit.
The manner of hunting on high tide will lend itself to enforcement since it is possible to know in advance the days
that law enforcement will be necessary.
Reasons for Recommendation: One might question the advisa-
bility of allowing the use of power driven boats in hunting.
"Why make the change at all?"
All agencies of Wildlife Management are now greatly con-
cerned with providing enough hunting and fishing for the
sportsman. Granted that we may never provide all that is
desired, we should try to come as close to this objective as possible. To prohibit the use of a power driven boat in marsh hen shooting removes the sport from a great many hunters. These people join the ranks of the unsatisfied and move us a little
further from our objective.
It appears that the thing to do to satisfy the most people involved is to allow the use of power driven boats in hunting
clapper rail.
A point of objection to this change may be raised that it
would not be fair to other states to allow the use of a motor in
Georgia when it is prohibited elsewhere, the point being made
that some of the rail killed in Georgia may not have been hatched in Georgia. This may be true, but the percentage of
birds hatched out of state that are killed in Georgia must be
very low. Some 300 birds were checked during the 1949 season
and not one Northern clapper rail was found.
Law enforcement officers may feel that this change in
regulations would make their job more difficult since some
hunters would use their motor to hunt waterfowl under the disguise of marsh hen hunting. This objection would hardly be valid since the main flights of waterfowl have not reached
48

Georgia during our marsh hen season. Furthermore, the method
of high water hunting can hardly be adapted to killing waterfowl using a motor.
Investigation of hunting methods indicates that more cripples are recovered when a power driven boat is used in hunting. Birds that have been crippled are difficult to recover. The birds are very adept at diving and can stay under water for a long period of time. The type that usually escapes is the body shot bird that falls on the water in a shocked condition. The birds often quickly snap out of this condition and dive under the water. While poling a boat on the high tide it frequently takes some little time to reach a bird that has been shot. This extra time is often enough for the bird to snap out of its shock and escape. With a power driven boat the bird can usually be picked up before the shock can wear off.
Since a satisfactory "marsh hen tide" requires a rather strong wind it makes poling a boat into the wind a "hard work" proposition. Unfortunately, some hunters will leave dead birds that lie upwind rather than exert the extra effort it takes to pole into the wind for the bird. Usually hunting conditions are such that they can kill another bird with the wind more quickly than going after the dead bird. While using a power driven boat these hunters would not find the wind to be a problem in picking up their dead birds.
Precisely, the use of a power driven boat would mean that
fewer crippled and dead birds would be left in the marsh.
Some hunters have objected to the use of a motor on the basis that one can cover too large an area. The project investi-
gators have used both methods of high water hunting and have
analyzed both carefully. When poling a boat the area covered
is much smaller than when a motor is used; however, the smaller area is undoubtedly covered much more closely while
with a motor being used the hunter often runs past the hens
without flushing them. The use of a motor allows a more even
removal of birds from an area rather than a complete removal
in a small area.
FUTURE INVESTIGATIONS
The past three years work on the clapper rail has been a good start towards the management of the bird. There is coi
49

crete evidence that warrants the recommendation in regard to the use of an outboard motor. However, there remains a vast
amount to be learned about the rail. At the present time we
do not have available enough data to adjust the hunting season or bag limit.
It has been learned from the nesting data that there is a preference for a certain type marsh, yet the amount of this marsh, sufficient to account for the total nesting has not been
located, nor have we any information on how to create or manage this marsh, To gather this information would in itself be
a complete ecological study.
LITERATURE CITED
Ridgway, Robert, continued by Friedman, Herbert, 1941. The
birds of North and Middle America. U. S. Nat. Mus., Washington, D. C. Part IX: 50-56. Bent, Arthur Cleveland, 1926. Life histories of North American marsh birds. U. S. Nat. Mus. 135.
Schmidt, F. V. & Kozicky, E. L., 1949. Nesting habits of the clapper rail in New Jersey. Auk. 60; 355-364.
Small, John H., 1933. Manual of the southeastern flora. Sci.
Press. Prt. Co., Lancaster, Pa.
Johnson, Duncan S. & York, Harlan H., 1915. The relation of
plants to tide-levels. Carnegie Inst, of Washington, Wash-
ington, D. C.
Martin, A. C, Gensch, R. H. and Brown, C. P., 1946. Alternative methods in upland game bird food analysis. Jour,
of Wildl. Mgt. 10:8-12 January.
L/BRARY

THE SALT MARSH VEGETATION OF THE COAST OF GEORGIA

m

i

i

gnnm}
P^H
"J
1

,..,,,
.. B9ft 1.42S
o
... nn.jat

*U-g o

.

._,

I

> * CftVIM Island Area I OF GEORGIA

Swf