October 8, 2026
𝐍𝐞𝐰 𝐉𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐞𝐲’𝐬 𝐎𝐬𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐲𝐬 𝐀𝐫𝐞 𝐢𝐧 𝐓𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐛𝐥𝐞: 𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐂𝐚𝐧 𝐇𝐞𝐥𝐩!
𝑂𝑟𝑑𝑖𝑛𝑎𝑟𝑖𝑙𝑦, 𝐼 𝑝𝑜𝑠𝑡 𝑎 𝑙𝑖𝑛𝑘 𝑡𝑜 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑐𝑜𝑙𝑢𝑚𝑛 𝑓𝑜𝑟 𝑠𝑢𝑏𝑠𝑐𝑟𝑖𝑏𝑒𝑟𝑠 𝑜𝑛 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑑𝑎𝑦 𝑖𝑡 𝑟𝑢𝑛𝑠, 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑛 𝑝𝑜𝑠𝑡 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑐𝑜𝑙𝑢𝑚𝑛…
John Workman, who saw the bird in November 2007, writes:
Back in 2007 it went by "Common Moorhen." Then it went into the federal witness protection program and got a new last name.
I like the little white streak of lightning on the critter's flank. Sort of a Harry Potter mark.
I have made an "X' on the Celery Map below to show where I saw it. (Deedee Burnside did the original map, a thing of beauty. Lake Appert's configuration has changed a bit since the Purple Loosestrife was vanquished.)
More about Common Gallinules here.
Will try tomorrow a.m., with spotting scope and camera.