White Ibis spotted on Calhoun River
Ansel Payne of Grantsville spotted a rare bird Monday, at least in this part of the USA, along the Little Kanawha River in 2006.
"My girlfriend and I spotted
this most extraordinarily out-of-place bird in the Henrietta area," said Payne.
It is a beautiful, young White Ibis (Eudocimus
albus).
Payne took the
photograph through a crude combination of a digital camera and a Canon
spotting scope.
The White Ibis is native to Florida and the Gulf Coast
and are rarely seen any further north than Georgia.
"This
is pretty much equivalent to watching a flamingo stroll past the Koffee
Kup in Grantsville," Payne said.
How this straggler got to Calhoun County is anyone's guess, but it is
hurricane season and a strong Atlantic storm could've blown it in.
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