>From 0730 to 0800 this morning, I observed one juv common gallinule on Big >Bluestem Pool along the Prairie's Edge Wildlife Drive. It was hanging out at >the edge of the cattails, directly across from the water control structure, >where the pool narrows into a channel - the corner on the left hand side, >right where the cattails meet the water's surface. This bird looks exactly >like the juv bird shown in the new Crossley guide (page 216), except that it's >head and chest are gray, not brown. Everything else is dead one - beak, eye >color, white in tail, etc. Even MORE exciting is that I found another family of gallinules on School House Pool, along the wildlife drive. There was one adult bird with 4 young (just slightly smaller than the Bluestem bird) moving in and out of a group of cattails on the right hand side of the drive. This spot is across from Nelson Pool, off the RIGHT side of the road, and looking down - just before the sign that says School House Pool. There are clumps of cattails of varying sizes, and the birds were about half way between the bottom of the hill and open water - straight out in the middle of the area. It's quite a ways out there - to get good views you really need a spotting scope. Field and grasshopper sparrows and cedar waxwings were all abundant this morning. The sparrows are singing like crazy - sounds like June instead of August out there. An eastern kingbird was flying around, displaying and calling in one area too - are they confused? Betsy Beneke Sherburne NWR
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