Restore it, and they will come

Just northwest of St. Louis, Mo., a new wetland area quickly attracted endangered King Rails, much to the delight of local birders. In Lincoln County, the Missouri Department of Conservation restored more than 2,000 acres next to the Mississippi River, and the first King Rail was found in 2004 at B.K. Leach Conservation Area.

The king rail is not the only unusual bird that has found a home at B.K. Leach CA recently. Bird enthusiasts also have spotted stately sandhill cranes, elegant Mississippi kites, little blue herons, common moorhens (also with chicks), least bitterns, marbled godwits, marsh and sedge wrens and western meadowlarks. In the past few years, the area also has hosted glossy ibis and black-necked stilts.

King Rail courtesy of U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service