Birders, On Friday, September 26, an out of town birder pointed out a juvenile Purple Gallinule to the hawk counter on duty (Bob Pettit) on the Hawk Tower at Holiday Beach Conservation Area, Essex County. Bob Pettit took four digital photos through the gentleman's scope, which can be viewed at: http://hbmo.org/sightings/Purple_Gallinule-20030927/. Thanks to Jason Sodergren for getting this page up in a hurry! Today, Saturday, September 27, the bird was watched foraging in the same general area and was seen on only three occasions during the day, once feeding in the open for 15 minutes, twice seen in dense vegetation for a couple minutes, and remaining hidden the remainder of the time. The site is a patch of cattail, arrowleaf, and American Lotus just a few yards to the north of the Hawk Tower. The best vantagepoint actually is from the top of the tower, and it seems possible that birders standing on the shore near the cattails may make the bird more shy. It seems the bird will likely still be present tomorrow, and possibly longer. Directions: Howard Avenue (Essex Co. Rd. 9), intersects Routes 401 and 3 east of Windsor. Take Howard Avenue south to County Road 20 ("T"'s) and turn right (west) traveling to Malden Centre in the town of Amherstburg. After about a mile, you will see a restaurant/convenience/gas store (Ure's) on the left just before County Road 50. Turn left (south) on County Road 50 and go 1.3 miles; the entrance to HBCA on the right. Drive all the way into the park to the Hawk Tower. Note: you can also take County Road 20 west from the Pt. Pelee area to where it reaches County Road 50. Allen Chartier amazilia1@comcast.net 1442 West River Park Drive Inkster, MI 48141 Website: http://www.amazilia.net Michigan HummerNet: http://www.amazilia.net/MIHummerNet/index.htm "Allen Chartier" <amazilia1@comcast.net> Visit http://www.ofo.ca/ontbirdsguide.htm for information on leaving and joining the list. As well as general information and content guidelines.