Gus Ben David, director of Massachusetts Audubon's Felix Neck Wildlife Sanctuary in Edgartown, takes a four-wheel-drive vehicle out into the field

Purple Gallinule Lands on Island From the South

By E. Vernon Laux

At noon on New Year's Day, Stephen Carlson of Oak Bluffs made a remarkable discovery.

Mr. Carlson had just left his home on a dirt road when, upon reaching the pavement, he noticed an object in the road. Dazed and confused, walking and standing in the middle of the road, was a very odd bird. As if recovering from a celebratory New Year's Eve, this bird was bobbing and weaving.