Wednesday, 11 March 2015

Wild Bird Wednesday 138 - Purple Swamphen

I know that I have post a few pictures of Purple Swamphens in the past, but I find them such watchable birds that I can't resist a few more pictures.

These were taken on Churchill Island, which is a small island off the much larger Phillip Island, a couple of hours west of Melbourne.

I took these images using the car as a hide, and this is a method I intent to use more often in the coming months.

The Purple Swamphen is also known as Porphyrio porphyry, and is about 45 cm in length.




Now its your turn to join in - click the blue button and off you go!
Posted by at

42 comments:

  1. TexWisGirl11 March 2015 at 03:02

    they really are cool birds! coots, swamphens, moorhens, gallinules. very cool and quirky!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Rajesh11 March 2015 at 03:12

    Wonderful shots of purple swamphen.

    ReplyDelete
  3. eileeninmd11 March 2015 at 03:13

    Great shots of your Purple Moorhen..Using the car as a blind is a great idea, I have used my car as a blind many times.. Thanks for hosting, have a great week!

    ReplyDelete
  4. eileeninmd11 March 2015 at 03:14

    I should have typed Purple Swamphen, excuse me!

    ReplyDelete
  5. Sylvia K11 March 2015 at 03:23

    Handsome fellow and great shots as always, Stewart!! Hope your week is going well!!

    ReplyDelete
  6. cedarmerefarm11 March 2015 at 03:32

    That is an interesting looking bird. I am glad I found your meme. There are so many interesting and fantastic photos here.

    ReplyDelete
  7. A Colorful World11 March 2015 at 03:49

    Great photos, Stewart! It's a handsome bird. Thanks for suggesting WBWers might help with the ID's. I'm hoping! :-)

    ReplyDelete
  8. Author R. Mac Wheeler11 March 2015 at 03:53

    better than watching them, is listening to them. They sound like a bunch of old women haggling over their bingo cards. They crack me up.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Breathtaking11 March 2015 at 05:28

    Hello Stewart!:) Excellent photos of another interesting bird from Austrália.

    ReplyDelete
  10. sunshine11 March 2015 at 05:38

    Great birds and colors. Using a car as hide is a comfortable way to spot birds.

    ReplyDelete
  11. Ela11 March 2015 at 05:57

    Fantastic shots and beautiful birds !
    Greetings

    ReplyDelete
  12. Anonymous11 March 2015 at 06:01

    Great shots. I like its colorful plumage and red bill!

    ReplyDelete
  13. mick11 March 2015 at 06:20

    Great photos of the Purple Swamphen. The light really shows off their beautiful colors.

    ReplyDelete
  14. Findlay Wilde11 March 2015 at 07:32

    I like the two tone colour of that Swamphen.

    ReplyDelete
  15. Sallie (FullTime-Life)11 March 2015 at 07:35

    I love this guy - we have one called a gallinule (not sure if I spelled that right) and some people call it a swamp hen. Very similar -- they have huge feet and it looks like yours does too!

    Thank you for hosting.

    ReplyDelete
  16. Brian King11 March 2015 at 08:35

    Very cool, almost prehistoric looking birds!

    ReplyDelete
  17. thewovenspoke11 March 2015 at 09:31

    Interesting bird, you show us so many great birds from your part of the world.

    ReplyDelete
  18. FAB11 March 2015 at 09:40

    From memory they can be fairly boisterous! Cool colours.

    ReplyDelete
  19. Spare Parts and Pics11 March 2015 at 09:52

    He appears to be looking right at you!! Great photos.

    ReplyDelete
  20. Lois11 March 2015 at 10:02

    Interesting bird! I've never heard of them before. You got some wonderful shots, especially the one where the bird is looking right at you!

    ReplyDelete
  21. Joyful11 March 2015 at 10:41

    You got some great closeup shots.

    ReplyDelete
  22. Millie and Walter11 March 2015 at 11:07

    Nice pictures of your swamphen.

    ReplyDelete
  23. Linda W.11 March 2015 at 14:48

    That bird has a very interesting beak! Nice shots.

    ReplyDelete
  24. Karen11 March 2015 at 14:51

    Neat looking bird, terrific shots!

    ReplyDelete
  25. Andrea11 March 2015 at 16:08

    Oh i think i saw that in NZ, but my shot is not usable for posting, i was too far!

    ReplyDelete
  26. Margaret Birding For Pleasure11 March 2015 at 20:45

    The car is a good idea as a hide but not always possible. Great shots of this bird.

    ReplyDelete
  27. Jo11 March 2015 at 22:30

    Hi Stewart, I'm linking to your meme from South Africa these days! I love the Purple Swamphen. Your shots are so good. We have a similar bird: African Purple Swamphen or Purple Gallinule. I'm always thrilled when I see one! Have a great day. Jo

    ReplyDelete
  28. Adam Jones11 March 2015 at 23:50

    Coot and Moorhen spring to mind. Great looking bird and quite stocky.

    ReplyDelete
  29. Optimistic Existentialist12 March 2015 at 00:17

    Amazing shots as always, Stewart.

    ReplyDelete
  30. Mary Hone12 March 2015 at 02:07

    What a crazy looking bird.

    ReplyDelete
  31. Inspired By June12 March 2015 at 02:24

    Great shots, Stewart! Birds look so different dead-on, don't they. I was shooting a roadrunner yesterday and was struck at how different they look - I'm hoping to link those shots next week - have a great week!

    ReplyDelete
  32. Anonymous12 March 2015 at 03:03

    What an interesting bird! Lovely photos.

    ReplyDelete
  33. This N That12 March 2015 at 04:27

    Great looking bird Stewart..I really enjoy your pictures and seeing birds that I would otherwise not know..Thanks..I don't think I have any new wild birds to link..Eileen beat you to the latest..Have a wonderful day..

    ReplyDelete
  34. Ana Mínguez Corella12 March 2015 at 07:28

    Hello!!!.. Nice and bright colors ..Very good pics .. Great

    ReplyDelete
  35. jp@A Green Ridge12 March 2015 at 11:09

    I saw my first coot when we were n Aruba last Spring, Stewart and was thrilled!!! This one you have for us is truly kind f cute I think!...:)JP

    ReplyDelete
  36. Bethany Carson12 March 2015 at 11:17

    The swamphen has very neat coloring! I've never seen a bird like that!

    ReplyDelete
  37. Stephanie12 March 2015 at 11:43

    Great looking bird!

    ReplyDelete
  38. Lux G.12 March 2015 at 21:20

    I like the photo where she looks straight into the camera. That curious fierce stare is intimidating. :)

    Cool shots!

    ReplyDelete
  39. SeaThreePeeO12 March 2015 at 22:57

    Wow, I've never seen a Purple Swamphen before. What a wonderful bird. Thank you for hosting.

    ReplyDelete
  40. Phil Slade13 March 2015 at 00:18

    It's like a giant Moorhen Stewart. I always think the name "swamphen" is rather uncomplimentary - a big chicken living in an undesirable place etc?

    ReplyDelete
  41. Anonymous13 March 2015 at 01:39

    So pretty!

    ReplyDelete
  42. Mary Howell Cromer13 March 2015 at 23:58

    Very neat looking birds. I saw my first Moorhens that looked similar, and other wonderful birds last week in FL, Just published the post this morning~

    ReplyDelete

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)