Brown-cheeked rail or Eastern rail

Happy Valley, Baruipur, West Bengal

It was a perfect, bright morning when I used to live in Kolkata. Within a week, we received information about this rare and exclusive bird via Facebook in the Baruipur Wetland. I eagerly awaited the earliest weekend to visit Baruipur, fearing that the bird might disappear before then. By God's grace, it stayed through the weekend, and along with 30 other birdwatchers from Kolkata, I had the opportunity to observe and photograph the bird.

Due to the dense reeds in that particular area, it was not visible for a long time. It was morning when it started foraging in the wetland and moving back and forth. Its extremely beautiful plumage and behavior caught our attention. We began taking as many photos as we could. I wish I could have made a video, but I ended up capturing a few images, which I’m sharing here. Thanks to God for creating this beautiful species.