Purple Gallinule: York County, Maine, USA, October 2013 — I went back to see if the Purple Gallinule is still here in Maine, and it was. This time I wanted to see feet. Gallinule feet are made for walking on lily pads and other floating vegetation in shallow water, So the toes are particularly long, and have long nails for gripping wet slippery surfaces. They also spread the weight so that they do not totally sink the surface they are walking on…but even in their home range and preferred habitat, the feet can be hard to catch in sight. Walking in grass it is even harder. OM Systems OM-1 with ED 100-400mm zoom at 800mm equivalent. Program mode with my custom birds and wildlife modifications. Processed in Pixelmator Pro.