The Purple Gallinule is one of the easiest birds to identify. It looks like a preschool class captured it and exercised their painting skills all over it in full crayola color.

They are fun to watch when they try to climb out the slender flower stalk of the Fire Flag plants to nibble on the purple flowers. The stalk bends under their weight, dipping toward the water, while their giant yellow feet cling to their narrow perch.

Dottie Ann shared her way of remembering the name of the Gallinule:

"The red nail polish on the Gal I Knew, and the white beak on the old Coot."

Thanks Dottie Ann.

Now, if you're looking at both a Common Moorhen and a Purple Gallinule, the red beaks could still get confusing, but the purple is pretty hard to miss.

The very purple bird was sitting on her nest, mostly hidden beneath the leaves in a mixed growth of Pickerelweed and Spatterdock. She stood briefly and I could see her eggs:

Some eggs were intact in the nest, but others had already hatched into tiny black fuzzballs.

I went back and tried to get photos of the chicks as they grew up, but they're too hidden beneath the leaves most of the time.

Check out those giant yellow feet! I didn't expect to see this bird in the Cypress Tree, but there it was...

My, what red eyes it has!