THORNWELL, LA – As the first rain event in nearly two months came into South West Louisiana, so did “Birders” from all over the U.S. The hope of all is to catch a glimpse of the elusive Yellow Rail in Thornwell, LA, also known as “The Yellow Rail Capital of the World,” for the 16th Annual Yellow Rails and Rice Festival this weekend.
While the weather this year is proving to be less than ideal compared to years past, avid bird enthusiasts from all over the country descended on the rice fields of SWLA for a chance to see the Yellow Rail, a “bucket list” bird for many, along with a wide variety of other bird species in the abundant habitat rice production provides for these feathered friends. Migrating from northern North America to winter in the marshes and grassy areas along the Atlantic and Gulf Coast, the Yellow Rails arrive in southwest Louisiana at the end of October every year. While the warmer and dryer weather leading up to this weekend’s events had some worried if the rails had made their way south, reports from many attending the Thursday morning festival opening event had already seen some rails in the area.
This year, rice farmer Paul Johnson of Thornwell let some of the attendees already in town come out to the field a day earlier (Wednesday), knowing the rain chances may halt the traditional opening day’s field trip. As always, getting to see the rails in the rice field is a special moment, but equally so is the opportunity to ride on the combines and spot birds as they are flushed from the rice crop ahead of the harvest equipment. Returning attendees explain to the newcomers that seeing your first rail is memorable, but you’ll also never forget the first time you get to ride on the combine and truly see what takes place for a rice farmer during his harvest!
Students from Louisiana State University, Mississippi State, and other institutions are on hand to help capture the varying species of birds from the rice fields, then band and release them. This allows ornithologists to capture data to better understand habits related to migration patterns.
As always, this event is a chance to share the sustainability story of how the U.S. rice industry works to create pristine habitat for wildlife and waterfowl, all while producing a quality crop to feed the world. To kick things off, Kevin Berken gives a presentation on rice production, emphasizing the importance for consumers to look for the “Grown in the USA” logo when purchasing rice. USA Rice and Ducks Unlimited staff are on hand to share information and answer questions from attendees, who each gain a new perspective of how important the rice industry is for waterfowl habitat.
The annual festival was born of an idea between two (human) couples to create an unusual eco-tourism event taking advantage of the southwest Louisiana ratoon crop harvest and the timing of migration for this elusive little bird. Donna Dittman and Steve Cardiff, “the birders,” and Shirley and Kevin Berken, “the farmers,” launched the festival in 2009 and have watched it grow each year.
“This festival is an opportunity to tell our sustainability story and show how our industry has led the way in creating and preserving wildlife habitat as standard practice,” said Berken. “When attendees get home, they share this experience with their birding groups, family, and friends, so our message continues to grow beyond the festival itself. After this experience seeing the yellow rails in our rice fields, everyone that picks up a bag of rice at the grocery store makes sure it’s ‘Grown in the USA.’ That’s a win for U.S. rice farmers and USA Rice.”
While the start of the weekend was not what everyone hoped for from mother nature, no one has ever left the festival without getting to check their bucket list of spotting a rail, but with several days still to go, everyone is certain that tradition will continue again this year.