On Saturday afternoon I decided to find out if any birds felt like being photographed in some late afternoon light - the kind of soft and golden light that we all enjoy.
I decided to have a look around a small pond that lurks next under bridge, near the freeway, a five minute drive from my house. There seems to be a resident pair of Purple Swamphens there - and as they are a bird of rather photogenic character I thought it was a good choice.
The birds did not let me down. Although the tall reeds can sometimes obscure them from view, the trip yielded some decent pictures (well, I think they are decent anyway!). This post is also a chance to use some of the pictures of this bird I have taken in the past.
The Purple Swamphen (Porphyrio porphyrio) is a large and often obvious water bird - it grows to about 48 cm long and can often be found strutting about with a clear sense of ownership and authority!
I could not help including the last picture - this bandy legged individual looks like its involved in some form of folk dance!!
( I have notice over the last month or so that the number of people linking to WBW is falling a little - if you have any suggestions about WBW please feel free to leave them in the comments or in the WBW tab - of course, if you are reading this it probably means you have linked up already!)
So, over to you - click the link and off you go! SM
Well they sure do have an authoritative look about them as they strut through the water, but the last picture gives them away. They are just bow legged chickens when they get out of the water ... Very handsome bird though and your pictures are great. Why do people insist on calling blue, purple? Or is it me that is color blind :)? Have a great week, Stewart. Glad you are back to full strength again.
ReplyDeleteAndrea @ From The Sol
That's a beauty! Excellent photos! It looks similar to our moorhen, but colored differently.
ReplyDeleteNice bird! good capture!
ReplyDeleteWe have a very similar one here in USA...the purple gallinule [I think that's how it's spelled]...but the one here has a bit of yellow also.
ReplyDeleteGreat captures Stewart
Your swamphen reminds me our gallinule.
ReplyDeletea beautiful but odd creature! :)
ReplyDeleteThose photos are very decent, Stewart! We have the African Purple Swamphen (Purple Gallinule) here and I've not yet photographed. Re your comment about people linking to WBW falling could be due to technicalities. On a number of occasions,I've not been able to access your blog. I am linked to it now though and will add my link tomorrow when my WBW post is aired. Greetings from East Africa (Jo)
ReplyDeleteHij staat er geweldig mooi op.
ReplyDeleteA great series of photos - they do make good photo subjects. Growing up in NZ I still think Pukeko sounds better than "purple swamp hen"!
ReplyDeleteWild colours!! Boom & Gary of the Vermilon River, Canada.
ReplyDeleteHello Stewart, I am back. I have been at Grandma's on the week days in the Summer holidays. Those bandy legs look quite funny and the beak looks really powerful. From Findlay
ReplyDeleteGreat quality photos, Stewart!
ReplyDeleteFlorida actually has a small population of Purple Swamphens, the result of some escapees many years ago.
A thought on lower WBW participation - perhaps many folks are on vacation not blogging?
Hope your week is a good one!
Lovely sheen off the blue in their feathers. Will be post tomorrow. (Wed)
ReplyDeleteMargaret
Stewart, these are awesome shots of your Purple Swamphen. They are neat looking birds. I thought they were shy birds? Wonderful post, thanks for hosting WBW! Have a great week!
ReplyDeleteĎalší zaujímavý vták, akého som ešte nikdy nevidela. Aj mne pripadajú jeho nohy na poslednej fotografii komické :-)
ReplyDeleteZapojila by som sa častejšie do tejto výmeny, ale mne robí problém angličtina, čítanie ostatných blogov a komentovanie :-(
Another interesting bird, what I have never seen. He seems well on his feet last photo comic :-)
I would engage more frequently in this exchange, but my problem does English, reading other blogs and commenting :-(
Great photos. I've seen our Pukeko's doing the 'bandy leg dance' across the road. Good to know their Australian cousins are just as amusing :)
ReplyDeleteThese are wonderful captures of this pretty bird. I like its colors. The last shot is so funny!
ReplyDeleteGreat shots of the Purple Swamphen Stewart! I don't know about the drop in numbers but I have been so busy promoting the Wildlife Conservation Stamp lately no time to post on my own blog. Also it's been very hot in the Western US and not many birds around to photograph. Plus I think some lucky folks have been on vacation. Thanks for hosting Stewart!
ReplyDeleteLove this bird....and there's no beating the color! I've seen the Purple Gallinule(are they the same?) and those colors really grab the eye:) Fastastic shots!
ReplyDeleteBeautiful photos! It's a very pretty bird.
ReplyDeleteBeautiful photos, Stewart!
ReplyDeleteThis week I can not post a link on WBW, I have no bird blog, this time a monkey blog.
Greetings Irma
All shots are awesome...
ReplyDeletefabulous series Stewart; you had great light showing up their colours magnificently
ReplyDeleteBeautiful colors combination of the bird! looking nice..
ReplyDeleteI LOVE his colors Stewart!! and those legs in the last shot...what a HOOT!
ReplyDeleteNot sure why the "fall off" in the numbers of participants for WBW - maybe people are just on vacation. I bet it picks up in the Fall and Winter months!!
Lovely shots, Stewart!
ReplyDeleteThanks for hosting.
What an unusual looking bird!
ReplyDeleteyour swamphen is such a beautifully colored bird. Would love to see it.
ReplyDeleteThe lower no of participants is probably due to northern people having vacation. Myself I have been gone for three weeks and are now back again. :)
Well, sadly, the fact that I am reading it does NOT mean that I am linking up. Because I didn't have any decent bird pix this time. (So maybe some other people aren't linking for the same reason). It is my favorite meme and I wish I had more good pictures for it.
ReplyDeleteYour swamp hen is very photogenic. It it does look like the gallinule we have here, but yours I think is more purple.
My favorite is the last one showing his long lanky legs!
ReplyDeleteHis coloringis beautiful! Great pictures and thanks for hosting WBW.
Those are some wonderful photos. What great color.
ReplyDeleteWonderful images, Stewart! I particularly love the pose in the last!
ReplyDeleteWonderful captures! That is certainly an appropriately named bird.
ReplyDeleteI have been on a bit of a meme break, but hopefully, I'll be back weekly; although, I'm in kind of a rut with bird photos.
A Spectacular looking bird Stewart. What marvelous colouration of feathers. They look to be about the size of our Pheasants. Have a wonderful week...BTW the golden bough in your recent post...impressive~
ReplyDeleteThanks for this and for your continued fine work with the meme, Stewart! I probably shouldn't admit this but the Purple Swamphen is yet another beautiful bird that I hadn't heard of, let alone seen. Your photos are spectacular and I enjoy your descriptions of the circumstances when you go out to do your bird shoots.
ReplyDeleteThank you, also, for taking time to comment on my last post and to take a stab at identifying my mystery hawk. I'm going with Goshawk (for now) for the one perched in the tree and Peregrine Falcon for the one in flight, so basically agreeing with your thoughts :)
As for less posters to WBW lately, sometimes, it has nothing to do with the quality of the meme, but is just an example of life getting in the way of blogging, as it has for me lately. I think you are leaving WBW open for an extra day, and if that is true, then I may actually be able to get a post done before it closes. The main thing is that WBW is a fine meme and greatly appreciated, I know, by many.
Love how you captured all their colors and markings, Stewart. And how cool to see one up on a fence - bet they're not often seen perching on things like that...
ReplyDeleteHi Stewart, I recently saw a cousin of this bird, a common Moore Hen or Marsh Hen, at a lake about twenty-five miles from my home. It was the first one I had seen. Very similar to your gorgeous purple one but with black color. Have a great day tomorrow!
ReplyDeleteOhh hooiiii!!)))
ReplyDeleteBeautiful birds:))))
Anita