Friday, October 19, 2018

MA - a Franklin County Common Gallinule

Common Gallinule (juv/first-winter) - Tri-town Beach, Whately, Franklin Co., MA.October 19th, 2018. 
First discovered on October 15th by Josh Rose.


We've lived in Franklin County since the fall of 2010 and during all that time I don't recall a Common Gallinule ever being reported in the county so it certainly came as a surprise when Josh Rose found and reported an immature at Tri-town Beach, Whately on October 15th. I was in Cape May leading a private tour at the time but fortunately the bird was courteous enough to stick around throughout the week and was still present when I went to check on it this morning. It was quite distant, a 'scope bird' as such, so all these images are digi-scoped shots, and this is the first time that Common Gallinule has featured on this blog.

I would have to admit that Common Gallinule hasn't been on my radar of 'hoped-for' species in Franklin County though it's rarer cousin Purple Gallinule has, inspired by a record of a long staying immature in Leverett on October 11th - 22nd, 1985, and another well photographed by Al and Lois Richardson at Ashley Reservoir in Holyoke, Hampden County November 3rd, 2005 - perhaps we're overdue for another?





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