One sex unknown (1966-05) on 28 March 1966, Cameron: Grand Chenier, Rockefeller Refuge; A. W. Palmisano (LSUMZ 51244).
Photo by Donna L. Dittmann
One (1969-05) on 20 April 1969, Cameron: near S line Sabine NWR on Magnolia Road; Marshall Eyster (LSUMZ 60774, partial skeleton and wing).
Two singing males (1982-38; formerly 89-103) on 24 Apr. 1982, Cameron: 0.5 mi. NNE Creole; Steven W. Cardiff (one collected, LSUMZ #104011), MBR, GHR (AB 42(5):862).
Two (1995-103) on 7 Oct 1995, Natchitoches: rice fields 3 mi. S of Powhatan exit (Hwy. 485) on I-49 and 3/8 mi. W of interstate; Roger J. Breedlove and Charles E. Lyon.
One (2000-77), sex unknown, on 26 Mar 2000, Gulf of Mexico: Green Canyon 18 oil platform, 122 mi. S of Morgan City, 27o 56’ 37” N, 91 o 01’ 45” W; found dead on rig by Brian L. Sullivan (LSUMZ; Donna L. Dittmann 7019).
One sex unknown (2007-60) on 23 September 2007, Cameron: ca 3 mi. W Holly Beach; Paul E. Conover (DLD 9123, ph) and B. Mac Myers III, and Donna L. Dittmann (*, skeleton & spread wing.)
Photo by Donna L. Dittmann
As many as two singing/calling (2008-36) on 27 April 2008, Cameron: west side Cameron ferry; Phillip Wallace (audio), B. Mac Myers III, and Devin Bosler; Curtis C. Sorrells was also involved in the discovery. Last date apparently 10 May.
One adult male in breeding condition (2010-66) on 4 July 2010, Vermilion: intersection Hwy. 91 and Spencer Road, approximately 4 mi. S of Gueydan; Paul E. Conover (LSUMZ), Donna L. Dittmann (DLD 10105). Found dead on edge of road, ant damage to head but otherwise in fresh condition.
One immature male (2010-65) on 30 October 2010, Cameron: Hwy. 82 just W of Holly Beach; Kevin Colley and Jennifer Alexander (ph), Donna L. Dittmann (DLD 10000). The rail was found dead on the side of the road.
One heard singing (2013-069) on 23 March 2013, Cameron: Broussard Beach, 3.1 mi. ESE Cameron; Erik I. Johnson (audio).
One (2013-077) on 26 April 2013, Cameron: Rutherford Beach Road, approx. 1.4 mi. from intersection with Trosclair Road, N29.768987o, W93.130017o; Michael A. Seymour (audio) and Dan O’Malley. This record was initially reviewed and considered not accepted in the 18th Report of the LBRC. It was recirculated and accepted following receipt of additional documentation.
One vocalizing (2016-013) on 22 April 2016, Cameron: Lighthouse Woods, Oscar Johnson (audio) eBird link. Reportedly found by Andre Moncrieff.
One (2017-008) on 15 February 2017, Cameron: Broussard Beach; Erik I. Johnson
One (2017-011) on 24 March 2017, Cameron: Broussard Beach; Jim Holmes.
One or two singing individuals (2017-025) on 23-24 May 2017, Cameron: between Holly Beach and Cameron Ferry along Hwy. 27, vicinity of N29.76473o, W93.36971o; Katie Barnes (audio) , and J. V. Remsen and Cameron Rutt (audio at N29.767049o, W93.368173o is about 1000 ft. from 23 May encounter by K. Barnes may represent a second individual).
One adult (2017-054) on 2 November 2017, Cameron: Broussard Beach, about 0.3 mi. W of access path;
Erik I. Johnson (ph
; banded USFWS 2561-95959).
Photo by Erik Johnson
One banded (2017-094) on 1 December 2017, Cameron: John Allaire property (private), west jetty area,
between Calcasieu Pass and Holly Beach, and between LA-82 and the beach;
Justin Lehman
and
Thomas Finnie (ph)
.
Photo by Thomas Finnie
Two and seven individuals (2017-101) on 12 December 2017 and 2 March 2018 respectively, Cameron: East of Holly Beach, between LA-82 and beach; Justin Lehman . These were on the same survey plots during Audubon Louisiana Black Rail surveys.
Four caught and banded (2018-033; two individuals on each date) on 3 and 26 March 2018, Cameron: John
Allaire property (private), west jetty area, between Calcasieu Pass and Holly Beach, and between LA-82 and the
beach;
Justin Lehman
and
Erik I. Johnson (ph)
, and
John Dillon (ph)
.
Photo by John Dillon
One banded (2018-085) on 31 January 2018, Vermilion: Paul J. Rainey Sanctuary, east of Chenier au Tigre toward Southwest Pass; Justin Lehman .
Three or four heard, one banded (2018-087) on 16 March 2018, Cameron: Broussard Beach; Justin Lehman . This may involve individual LBRC 2017-054, which was caught November 2017.
One (2019-024) on 15, 20, and 26 April 2019, Cameron; Daniel F.
Lane (ph, audio provided to the LBRC for review), Oscar Johnson, and Matthew L. Brady (audio only).
Photo by Daniel F. Lane
Three (2019-082) on 1 November 2019, Cameron: west of the Calcasieu Ship Channel; Oscar Johnson (see https://ebird.org/checklist/S61152410) and Eamon C. Corbett (ph only). Individuals were flushed and banded during an Audubon Louisiana survey on a Yellow Rails and Rice Festival field trip.
One bird (90-44) on 10 May 1990, Orleans: New Orleans. This report involved a bird found dead inside an industrial plant adjacent to a canal. Unfortunately, the carcass was not saved. The description was rudimentary and did not provide enough detail to substantiate this record.
One (1993-64) on 18 Dec 1993, Evangeline: Millers Lake. Despite the observer’s reported familiarity with this species, all but one member believed that this heard-only record, involving a single three-second burst of “grrrr” calls, was not sufficient to document an inland winter occurrence.
One (1995-05) on 1 Feb 1995, Cameron: Garner Ridge, 3 mi. W of Johnsons Bayou School. Although most members believed that the bird may have been correctly identified, the combination of a brief glimpse without the aid of binoculars, and that the bird could not be immediately re-found following an extensive search of the area, resulted in a non-accept vote on the second circulation.
Two (1995-69) on 8 Apr 1995, Cameron: 3 mi. N of Holly Beach water tower at E. Mud Lake Field. This record received a mixed vote (3-4) on the second circulation. Members accepting this record believed that the description was adequate because the birds were seen and heard. Members who did not accept the record believed that the details were just too sketchy (very brief description, no elaboration on how the birds were located, when and how many calls were heard) for such an outstanding record. If both observers (instead of only one) had submitted a report and elaborated on the details of the observation more thoroughly, this record might have been accepted.
One adult (2005-04) on 7 May 2005, Red River: 1 mi. E of Williams, ¼ mi. NE of intersection of Hwy. 1 and parish road 408. All but one member believed that the ten-second view without binoculars from a moving tractor was insufficient to document such an incredible record.
One (1992-90) on 23 October 1992, Jefferson Davis: couple miles S of Thornwell. This individual was included on a list submitted to eBird and flagged, the record was then submitted to the LBRC based on memory. We commend the observer for taking the time to submit this record and add it to the archive. However, the description was exceptionally brief: “a tiny blackcolored rail.” There are few accepted records of Black Rail away from the immediate coast and none have been found in this area during extensive recent work watching for rails from rice combines.
One (1987-002) on 20 December 1987, Cameron: Magnolia Road Area (Sabine NWR CBC) on Texaco Rd. A brief observation in the headlights of a vehicle did not convince Members that other species were adequately eliminated from consideration.
One (2012-155) on 29 December 2012, Ascension: approximately 1 mi. NW intersection of Motavit Rd. and Hwy. 61. This is a heard-only report of a “growl” call. All Members believed that the details were not adequate to support the identification.
One (2013-104) on 5 January 2013, Iberville: Spanish Lake near St. Gabriel (during Baton Rouge CBC). There was consensus that the brief descriptions provided by the observers were not sufficient to support this relatively unprecedented inland winter report.
One (2013-071) on 4 April 2013, Jefferson: Grand Isle, Humble Rd. (Exxon Fields). The report involved a brief sighting of a bird in flight. Most Members believed that the observation was too brief and that details provided were not adequate to accept this report.
One (2013-072) on 6 April 2013, Jefferson: Grand Isle, Humble Rd. (Exxon Fields). This was also a brief observation of a flushed bird. Although at more or less the same location as 2013-071, Members were reluctant to consider these two reports as “reinforcing” each other, and the report was ultimately considered unaccepted.
One heard (2013-086) on 22 November 2013, Ascension: ca 1 mi. NW intersection Motavit Rd. and Hwy. 61. The bird was heard-only giving a “growl call.” The location, date, description of the call, and the observer’s inexperience with the species were all factors in the non-acceptance of the report.
One heard (2015-014) on 3 February 2015, Cameron: Cameron, Wakefield Rd., marsh near Tiger Tanks Company. All Members were in agreement that more than a single “urrr” call was needed to document this species.
One (2017-024) on 13 May 2017, Cameron: marsh just south Conway LeBleu Memorial (Gibbstown) Bridge on Hwy. 27. Although the description was suggestive, circumstances (brief view from moving car) and the inexperience of the observer with this species resulted in all Members voting not to support this report.
One (2017-100) on 17 November 2017, Cameron: East Jetty Woods. This was a very brief heard-only encounter involving a partial vocalization. Although quite likely involving this species, most Members believed that it was best left as unaccepted due to the brevity of the encounter and that the observer reported not being 100% confident.
One (2017-098) on 26 December 2017, St. John the Baptist: approx. 0.5 mi. north of Peavine Rd. along Old Hwy. 51 at Maurepas Swamp WMA trailhead. Although possibly correctly identified, all Members were concerned by the circumstances: brief observation without binoculars as the bird flew across a parking lot surrounded by areas not considered Black Rail habitat.