The rarest of the "real" crakes (the Corncrake actually belongs to another group), the
Baillon's Crake Porzana pusilla, spends its third day on the tiny estuary of Megalo Rema stream in Rafina, east of Athens. Fortunately, it behaves as any other crake; once it gets used to your presence, as long as you don't move, it moves freely right in front of you, foraging for small aquatic insects or any other available food. A very hard to find but very easy to photograph species, it has become an attraction for every Athenian birder.
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| Reedbed fringes is the place to look for |
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| Always on the move, it rarely stands still |
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Notice the absence of red on the bill and the intense barring on the flanks
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