Common Gallinules Fighting
January 27, 2024 - Sometimes you come across two Common Gallinules going at each other, and I've never been sure if it was a fighting thing or a mating thing.... Read more
Common Gallinule
 | I used to be known as the Common Moorhen, as I'm a small hen of swampy areas. You might mistake my calls as laughter. I'm one of the few birds whose first generation of babies takes care of the second and third generations. Some people say that my babies look like aliens. Most Likely Found: In a pond, In the marsh When: Year-Round Where I've photographed: Circle B Bar Reserve, Lake Apopka, Lake Mirror, Lake Morton, Oakland Nature Preserve, Orlando Wetlands, Viera Wetlands Read more: Common Gallinule at Cornell Lab of Ornithology Ebird: Common Gallinule eBird range |
I have written 62 posts including a photo of a Common Gallinule
Afternoon Walk at Oakland Nature Preserve
January 5, 2024 - A pair of Common Gallinules were feeding at the edge of the lake.... Read more
More Baby Birds at Lake Morton
May 21, 2023 - I heard tiny noises and looked down in the lily pads to find this nest of Common Gallinule chicks.... I came across another Common Gallinule family.... Read more
Ducks and Ducklings
April 25, 2023 - I find a Common Gallinule making his nest at the base of a cypress tree.... Common Gallinule chicks are popping up everywhere.... Read more
Baby Birds Coming To Lake Morton
April 23, 2023 - I found a couple of Common Gallinule nests buried in the lily pads, and a few small client babies have hatched already.... Read more
Springtime Fun at Lake Morton
April 19, 2023 - I always know it's springtime when the Common Gallinule chicks start to show up.... Read more
First of Fall Painted Bunting at Lake Apopka Wildlife Drive
October 11, 2021 - A group of Common Gallinules started to swim suspiciously towards each other.... Read more
Small Hints of Fall at Lake Apopka Wildlife Drive
September 19, 2021 - This baby Common Gallinule reminded me that the summer breeding season is still going.... Common Gallinules lay several clutches of eggs throughout the season.... Read more
Juvenile Barn Swallows at LAWD
September 5, 2021 - A pair of Common Gallinules fought in the distance.... Read more
Mid-July Visit to Lake Apopka Wildlife Drive
September 2, 2021 - There were a lot of baby Common Gallinules that morning.... Read more
Baby Bitterns and More at Lake Apopka Wildlife Drive
August 7, 2021 - A pair of Common Gallinules was fighting in the water.... Read more
Summer Families at Lake Apopka Wildlife Drive
July 3, 2021 - Nearby, a family of Common Gallinules was taking care of their small family.... Read more
Black Tern and Baby Black-necked Stilts at LAWD
June 29, 2021 - Common Gallinules are very common at Lake Apopka, so it's pretty easy to find them with their babies.... Read more
Aliens Invade at Lake Morton
June 7, 2021 - The Common Gallinules knew where these aliens came from.... They are Common Gallinule babies.... Near the shore, I saw a Common Gallinule gathering sticks to build her nest.... Read more
A Foggy Walk around Lake Morton
April 10, 2021 - I found a couple of Common Gallinule nests, nested in the vegetation at the edge of the lake.... Read more
Late August Trip to Lake Apopka Wildlife Drive
November 22, 2020 - But I couldn't resist pulling out the camera when I saw this Common Gallinule feeding her baby.... Read more
Least Bitterns and Growing Babies at Lake Apopka Wildlife Drive
July 30, 2019 - Common Gallinules are growing up all over the wildlife drive.... Common Gallinules are one of the few species of birds where the older kids help to take care of the younger kids.... Read more
Some Summer Surprises at Lake Apopka
July 15, 2019 - A baby Common Gallinule was crawling on top of a lily pad.... Read more
Bird Family Vignettes from Lake Apopka
June 21, 2019 - All over the trails, tiny Common Gallinule babies were being fed.... Read more
Summer Morning at the Lake Apopka Wildlife Drive
June 9, 2019 - Baby Common Gallinules are all over the place at Lake Apopka!... Read more
Springtime Nature Therapy at LAWD
May 13, 2018 - Speaking of babies, the Common Gallinule chicks are already all over the wildlife drive.... Here's another Common Gallinule, this one on a nest.... Read more
Lazy Summer Morning at Lake Apopka
August 9, 2017 - I love it when I get to see a baby Common Gallinule on land.... Read more
Another Summer Morning on LAWD
August 5, 2017 - This Common Gallinule family was fun to watch.... After watching a Common Gallinule family on their nest a few weeks before, I think I was more aware of the interactions between the babies and their older sibling (previous clutch).... Read more
Common Gallinule Nest at Lake Morton
July 16, 2017 - I'd never seen a Common Gallinule nest before.... Read more
Orchard Oriole and Lifer Cave Swallow at Lake Apopka Wildlife Drive
July 2, 2017 - The Common Gallinule babies are getting bigger, too.... Read more
Two Cuckoos on a Quest at Lake Apopka
June 26, 2017 - Not far from the grebes we spotted a Common Gallinule nest.... Read more
Addicted to the Lake Apopka Wildlife Drive
June 20, 2017 - At one point I came across a baby Common Gallinule crossing the road.... Read more
The Fun Continues at Lake Apopka Wildlife Drive
June 16, 2017 - Highlights of this visit include baby Killdeer, a Yellow-Crowned Night Heron, a Roseate Spoonbill, and the ever-present baby aliens (Common Gallinules).... The first birds that I stopped to photograph were a family of Common Gallinules.... The Common Gallinules are one of the few bird families where the older juveniles from…... Read more
Last But Not Least (Bittern) – Lake Apopka Wildlife Drive
June 12, 2017 - A Common Gallinule wandered up to the bush, climbed the branches, stuck his head into the nest, and emerged with an egg in his mouth.... Read more
First Afternoon Visit to the Lake Apopka Wildlife Drive
June 10, 2017 - We did spot this Common Gallinule on her nest.... Read more
Not a Good Day to be a Bug at Lake Apopka Wildlife Drive
June 6, 2017 - Common Gallinule families are all over the drive right now!... Read more
Winter Birds Returning to Orlando Wetlands Park
November 4, 2016 - You know you haven't been out much lately when you start watching the Common Gallinules.... Read more
Tiny Dancers and Other Birds at Orlando Wetlands
September 18, 2016 - As I walked back, I spotted a Common Gallinule with her young chick.... Read more
Early May at the Lake Apopka Wildlife Drive
May 14, 2016 - Common Gallinules are regulars in the waters alongside the berm roads.... You may be wondering if these are baby aliens, but trust me, the ornithologists have clearly classified these little guys as Common Gallinules!... Read more
Lake Apopka Wildlife Drive
June 4, 2015 - Another common and yet fun bird is the Common Gallinule (formerly known as the Common Moorhen).... Read more
Springtime at Lakes Morton and Mirror
May 13, 2015 - We spotted a Common Gallinule with two tiny chicks, then we spotted another with juvenile "teenagers." This one seemed to be asking one of the hard questions of childhood...."Mommy, am I a boy or a girl?" One of my favorite things about visiting Lake Morton in the spring is…... Read more
Annual Search for My Pole-Vaulters
October 16, 2014 - This Common Gallinule was jealous of all the attention that the Purple Gallinules were getting.... Read more
Small Things to Make You Smile (Lake Morton)
August 6, 2014 - Then we spotted a Common Gallinule with two chicks.... Read more
Put Your Best Spoon Forward!
June 1, 2012 - ...I spent last Sunday morning at the Circle B Bar Reserve. Boy it feels good to get back out there! I was happy to find lots and lots of Roseate Spoonbills still hanging around off the Wading Bird Way trail. I counted over 100! These beautiful birds are some of my favorite ones to photograph. […] Read more
Three Generations
October 7, 2011 - This is a family of Common Moohens - I mean, Common Gallinules -- from Circle B last week.... Common Gallinules are somewhat special in that the babies from early spring stick around to help the parents raise the second and third clutches of the summer.... Read more
Expect the Unexpected at the Circle B Bar Reserve
September 17, 2011 - There are almost always families of Common Moorhens Common Gallinules in the "Four Corners" area. Today was no exception, and they were on a perfect sun angle. One adult looked at me and just begged to have his picture taken. Of course I had to oblige...... Bird Species List (32…... Read more
Early Migrants at the Circle B Bar Reserve
September 12, 2011 - ...You know that the hot summer is coming to a close at the Circle B Bar Reserve when you start seeing the first Pied-Billed Grebes on the Wading Bird Way trail. Although grebes are year-round residents in Polk, I don’t seem to see them until the very end of summer. The same goes for the […] Read more
First of Season Warblers at CBBR!
August 19, 2011 - ...How are kitten care and warbler photography alike? Neither subject will stay still! This morning I enjoyed an off-Friday sunrise at the Circle B Bar Reserve. I saw my first warblers of the season! Two Yellow Warblers and one Prairie Warbler spent a pleasant 15 minutes posing for me in the top of a tree […] Read more
Quiet Morning at the Circle B Bar Reserve
August 7, 2011 - ...Herman made me go back to the Circle B Bar Reserve this morning after he posted a picture of a Ruby-throated Hummingbird on Flickr. I took the Beast and set up in front of the Morning Glory vines where he saw the bird. I waited about a half hour, but no hummers came. So I […] Read more
The Eagle has Landed at CBBR
July 31, 2011 - ...The Bald Eagle has returned to his nest on the sandhill at the Circle B Bar Reserve! I was very happy to hear him and then confirm that he was sitting just above the nest. It’s been almost a month since Dyeyo and I went to Circle B, so we were both excited to get […] Read more
Productive Morning at the Viera Click Ponds
July 23, 2011 - ...After hearing on Birdbrains about the early fall migrants at Viera Wetlands, I had to make a trip over there. The wetlands itself was very unproductive, with not even the Purple Gallinules showing themselves to me. No Black-bellied Whistling Ducks greeted me, either. But over in the Click Ponds, there was a ton of activity. […] Read more
Expect the Unexpected at Viera Wetlands
July 4, 2011 - There were Common Moorhens (or I guess Common Gallinules, as they are now called) everywhere, with chicks of all ages. I’ve been wanting to find recently-hatched chicks up close. At that age they are so ugly that they are adorable! We lucked out and found a whole family that was…... Read more
More Baby Birds at the Circle B Bar Reserve
April 30, 2011 - ...This morning started out slow at the Circle B Bar Reserve. We’re getting into the time of year when there are fewer birds at the reserve, and you don’t get as many great photo ops as you do during the winter. But I find that the baby birds are just as fun to photograph as […] Read more
The Newest Celebrity at the Circle B Bar Reserve
April 2, 2011 - ...This winter the American Bittern and the King Rail were the stars at the Circle B Bar Reserve. This spring, the Sandhill Crane colt that frequents the Heron Hideout trail is quickly becoming the newest celebrity at the park. This morning I met Michael Libbe at sunrise and we found the Sandhill Crane family out […] Read more
Bitterns Saying Hello at Circle B Bar Reserve
January 7, 2011 - ...I headed to the Circle B Bar Reserve on my off-Friday determined to remember to check the eagle’s nest next to the Nature Center. I always seem to forget to walk over and check it on my way out! As I arrived at the nest, I saw one Bald Eagle sitting on it. Another eagle […] Read more