not rare, but incredibly ellusive; we were quite shocked to see this junior (definately a junior as the adults have red on their beak) at the water's edge.
t'interweb says " The water rail is a bird of the rail family which breeds in well-vegetated wetlands across Europe, Asia and North Africa. Northern and eastern populations are migratory, but this species is a permanent resident in the warmer parts of its breeding range."
