A Lifelong Love Affair

Since I was a little girl, barely old enough to walk, I have been fascinated with birds. My mother used to share stories of chasing me as I ran down the middle of our country road, trying to catch one! And while I never succeeded, I was not deterred. Thus began a lifelong love affair with our little feathered friends. 

The Right Environment

When I became a photographer, one of my goals was to capture as many photos as possible of the various species of birds that live or migrate through my backyard and throughout Florida. With help from my friends at Wildbirds Unlimited in Tallahassee, Florida, I have discovered that creating a welcoming environment for them is crucial to their presence. Now, armed with several feeders, a bird bath, and a birdhouse (coming soon), I have been richly rewarded. 

Their flights of fancy, beautiful songs and antics at the feeder always make me smile throughout the day. So whether photographed from the backyard, along the shore, or perched high up in the trees, I hope you will enjoy this Bird Bonanza! 

Purple Gallinule

I’m beginning with a beautiful and very colorful bird: the Purple Gallinule. In the photos, the darker-colored birds are adults, and the lighter-colored birds are juveniles. They were photographed along the shore of Lake Apopka in Winter Garden, Florida. 

¹Basic Information:

• Beautiful, colorful waterbird of marshes from southeast U.S. to South America, especially those with lots of emergent vegetation. Bright bluish-purple body with green back, white undertail, and red bill with yellow tip. Long yellow legs and enormous feet help it walk on lily pads. Immatures are buffy overall with dull olive wings. Usually found alone. Loud vocalizations similar to Common Gallinule. 

Did You Know:

• Purple Gallinules are remarkable fliers and turn up far out of their normal range, surprisingly often. They’ve even shown up in Iceland, Switzerland, South Georgia island, the Galápagos, and South Africa. A recent study noted that these may not be mere accidents: years with severe drought in the gallinule’s core range tended to produce more so-called vagrants in autumn and winter. In other words, these wanderers may not be lost but perhaps seeking places to feed because their usual haunts do not have adequate food.
• The oldest recorded Purple Gallinule was at least 7 year, 4 months old when it was found in Florida in 1956 where it was originally banded in 1950.

Information Resources

1. All of the facts provided above are from the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. They are one of the leading experts worldwide to learn about and become interested in birds. ↩︎