I'd Rather B Birdin': Purple Gallinule

Quiet week! Even our 52nd anniversary went by without much celebrating...Covid-19 kept us from going out to dine [this is the first time we didn't paint the town in all those years! Definitely a year for the memory book in so many ways, for so many of us.] As far as birding goes this week, it's been kinda quiet. I've done my habitual walking in the morning, but to change the pace, AND SCENERY, I've chosen different areas to traverse and tally my steps. Some days, I just walked downtown...the concrete jungle, and there I'm lucky to see a grackle or two along the streets/sidewalks. A few days I ventured to a city park, and on Sunday I drove to the islands. On the islands, this is what I spotted in different areas of the fishing village, Port Aransas and Mustang Island on that day...

BLACK and WHITE WARBLER
photo taken: The Willows
habitat map: Warbler
Length: 5 inches
Wingspan: 8.5 inches

PURPLE GALLINULE
photos taken: Leonabelle Refuge
habitat map: Gallinule
Length: 14 inches
Wingspan: 17 inches

INDIGO BUNTING [female]
photo taken: The Willows
habitat map: Bunting
Length: 5.5 inches
Wingspan: 8-9 inches

AMERICAN REDSTART
photo taken: The Willows
habitat map: Redstart
Length: 5 inches
Wingspan: 8 inches

YELLOW WARBLER
photo taken: Charlie's Pasture
habitat map: Warbler
Length: 5 inches
Wingspan: 8 inchees

BROWN PELICAN
photo taken: Leonabelle Refuge
habitat map: Pelican
Length: 50 inches
Wingspan: 82 inches

GRACKLE [juvenile]
photo taken: Leonabelle Refuge
habitat map: Grackle
Length [adult]: 11-13 inches
Wingspan [adult]: 17-19 inches

NORTHERN GANNET [at Rehabilitation ARK -injured]
photo taken: Mustang Island [Science Institute]
habitat map: Gannet
Length: 36 inches
Wingspan: 72 inches

AMERICAN AVOCET
photos taken: Leonabelle Refuge
habitat map: Avocet
Length: 18 inches
Wingspan: 30-35 inches

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Those Participating this week:

A Quiet Corner
Birds Seen in Europe and Africa
Traveler In Me
Image in ing
Bird Watching Nana
Betty Crow
Liz Needle
Linda, Virginia, USA
Travel With Birds [no hyperlink]
Jean at So Not Organized
The Early Birder
Linda aka Crafty Gardener
Phil UK
Eileen
Lea's Menagerie
Lavender Dreams

It seems that migrating season for South Coastal Texas has just begun, and now a lot that I've seen in the past month or so are leaving the area slowly. The numbers are beginning to dwindle down to a slight amount of migratory sightings. With such a warm April, May will be a lot slower in any heavy migration I think. Of course, that's just an uneducated guess on my part. Altho Bud and I have been out birding for a few hours nearly each day in April, and I have quite a collection of 'new found' birds for the year...if my charting and counting is accurate, we've spotted 165-170 different birds. I'll eventually post the images, probably way beyond migration season, but I will still share...perhaps the images will be intermixed with a few babies here and there. I can only hope. I thought I'd start off with a uncommon bird seen here in my parts [or should I say elusive?]. It has been on my 'to find and photograph' notepad list since the beginning of my taking up bird photography as a hobby. Over a year and a half now, and I finally spotted one [take note of the size of its feet!]...

PURPLE GALLINULE

[pronounced GAL uh newel]

photo taken: Hans Suter Wildlife Refuge - Corpus Christi, Texas

Habitat Range:

The Purple Gallinue is essentially a tropical marsh bird that just makes its way into the United States. A more or less 'silent bird' that feeds on fruits, seeds, flowers, grains and seldom a few invertebrates.

At the same area, on the same day, we saw two different swallows:

BARN SWALLOW

photo taken: Hans Suter Wildlife Refuge - Corpus Christi, Texas

Habitat Range:

[Northern] ROUGH-WINGED SWALLOW

photo taken: Hans Suter Wildlife Refuge - Corpus Christi, Texas

Habitat Range:

Farther over the boardwalk, this beauty came into view. This bird family [genus] is a species that is most difficult to photograph for they rarely remain in one spot for long:

YELLOW WARBLER

photo taken: Hans Suter Wildlife Refuge - Corpus Christi, Texas

Habitat Range:

...and last but not least, as the saying goes, I was mesmerized by 'the dance'... It seemed to be a bit of a novice at catching anything. Anyway, that was my impression at first until I read that this very active, running, jumping and chasing is all its natural way of feeding. At times, it was a bit of comedy relief ...

REDDISH EGRET

photo taken: Hans Suter Wildlife Refuge - Corpus Christi, Texas

Habitat Range:

Also, this past week, I even spotted and photographed a bird that was found at Hans Suter Refuge that wasn't supposed to be anywhere near Texas... my area of Texas anyway. In fact, the habitat boundaries show that they barely come into the eastern area of the state!! And then it's only during migration season. I used several of my book guides of Texas Birds; showing nothing that I photographed. When it all came down to getting my huge North American Bird Guide off the bookshelf did I finally find it. I was shocked to read about it. The colors are so unique and only last for such a short time in this 'color stage'! The remaining months of the year, they're a dull indistinct color. I'll get to that bird hopefully soon and get some information for y'all real quick. Stay tuned.

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§ On The Island....

§ One Swallow Does Not Make Spring [Aristotle]

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