Nick Upton / Water rail (Rallus aquaticus) walking on frozen, snow covered lake surface in falling snow, Wiltshire, UK, March.

Nick Upton / Water rail (Rallus aquaticus) walking across a frozen, snow dusted pond, Gloucestershire, UK, February.

Nick Upton / Water rail (Rallus aquaticus) foraging in marshland, Gloucestershire, UK, November

Dave Bevan / Water rail (Rallus aquaticus) foraging at waters edge, Carmarthenshire, Wales, UK, November.

Mathias Schaef/ BIA / Water Rail (Rallus aquaticus), Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany

Andy Sands / Water Rail (Rallus aquaticus) feeding in watercress bed with water drop on end of beak, Hertfordshire, England, UK, January

Jussi Murtosaari / Water rail (Rallus aquaticus), adult, Finland, February.

Markus Varesvuo / Water Rail (Rallus aquaticus) taking off, Utö, Finland, August.

Colin Varndell / Water rail (Rallus aquaticus) with dead Chaffinch (Fringilla coelebs) the rail had just killed and partly eaten, Dorset, UK March

Colin Varndell / Water rail (Rallus aquaticus) preening, Dorset, UK March

Andy Sands / Water Rail (Rallus aquaticus) wading through shallow water in watercress bed, Hertfordshire, England, UK, January

Andy Sands / Water rail (Rallus aquaticus) standing in shallow water in watercress bed, Hertfordshire, England, UK, January