RUDDY-BREASTED CRAKE
Porzana fusca
Rallidae Family

Length 192mm (7 1/2")
Resident- Uncommon

Bird #346 - November 2011

We had discussed this bird with fellow birder Christian Perez a couple of times. He had mentioned that he saw this bird in Tarlac in August 2010. When he invited us to join him to try to see it again we knew it was a risky trip because it was more than a year ago and this crake is supposed to be hard to see and it does not call out. But throwing caution to the wind we accepted his invitation and packed our bags.  We left our house at the usual 3:15am and arrived in Tarlac around sunrise. To our disappointment there were a lot of motorcycles and trucks plying the road so we thought that our chances were even worse. Chances were pointing to no crake, but we had made our bet. And lo and behold, sometimes you can beat the house odds, the crake showed up.

It wanted to cross the dirt road. After hesitating a bit it finally crossed allowing us to take a few quick photos.True to the description in the book, it was silent. It is an unmistakable bird with the ruddy coloration on the face and chest and the very red legs. Maybe someday we can see it again and take better photos. But this was a great encounter and a superb lifer. It just goes to show, no matter what the chances seem like on paper, you never know what you are going to see when you step out of your house to look for birds.