Nesting King Rails are a very rare find in Iowa. This nest site was discovered after someone saw two King Rails in the area. Then after hatching they had to be refound as they picked a feeding site that was about 100 yards away from the nesting site. I met the discoverer at dawn a few months ago to watch the parents try and keep track of 5 chicks. At first it seemed like they let them run pretty wild and then as it got lighter they seemed to keep closer tabs on them and then a few hours after sunrise they disappeared into the reeds.