Purple Gallinule at Mauston in Juneau County Wisconsin on October 13, 2016

The beautiful adult Purple Gallinule was present when I arrived in Mauston this morning. The normal range for this bird is Florida, so very rare for Wisconsin. Someone said, was it the recent hurricane? The Purple Gallinule hung with a couple of Mallard Ducks and an Indian Runner Duck. At times it was far from the mallards eating along the shores within the brush in the ditch. At times too it was not in sight, hidden in the grasses and not moving around much. The colors on this bird are breathtaking. I did see it fly twice, just an amazing bird blue bird in the air. Thanks to Jeri for finding this rare bird and sharing, obviously a life bird for me! It was mostly cloudy in Mauston while I was present with mild temps, no wind. Images were taken on October 13, 2016.

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Purple Gallinule

Binomial name: Porphyrula martinica

Category: Rails, Gallinules, and Coots

Size: 13” long, 22” wing span

Weight: 8 oz

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Typically it was feeding in the brush along the ditch shore

Typically it was feeding in the brush along the ditch shore

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Indian Summer Duck??

Indian Runner Duck

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Indian Runner Duck

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Early morning sun in the grasses

Early morning sun in the grasses

Early morning sun in the grasses

Early morning sun in the grasses

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About admin

Window to Wildlife features the photography of Jim Edlhuber. A lifelong native of Wisconsin, Jim has been photographing wildlife for 20 years. He considers himself an avid photographer and is always trying to capture nature and wildlife through his lens. He is in several photography clubs and has won numerous awards for his work. In recent years, Jim has focused mostly on birding photography and finds it to be the most challenging.

8 Responses to Purple Gallinule at Mauston in Juneau County Wisconsin on October 13, 2016

  1. Mary Korkor says:

    Poor bird! It has no idea what is coming!!!! BRRR!

  2. Gerald Haiar says:

    This is incredible. Yes must have been the hurricane but it ended up with its’ navigational system fried. Now it is in big weather trouble.
    Maybe it will have the sense to start flying south. Thanks for posting Jim.

  3. Thomas Wood says:

    Congratulations, Jim and beautiful photos. Looks like the bird was really cooperative for your photo session. A terrific sighting in Wisconsin!

  4. Marci Lanois - ME says:

    These photos are stunning, Jim! Thanks for posting!

  5. Annie says:

    Awesome pics, Jim. Yours are much better than any I could find in a field guide. Somehow I knew you’d be heading that way when the rare bird alert came through. Thanks so much for bringing this gem into our view.

  6. Todd Leech says:

    Excellent work Jim…what a beautiful bird

  7. Kurt J Huebner says:

    Great shots. An amazing bird. I don’t even recall seeing it when paging through the various guides.

  8. Mary Steinert-Ng says:

    Jim-Wow! This bird is particularly lovely, this cold December night. Thanks-

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