I Hit The Jackpot With The White Ibis!

I don't often chase after reported rare bird species. I have limited time and a gas tank that costs too much to feed. I avoid chasing rare little brown birds across the state that I may not be able to find when I get there, might be hard to get a photo of, and aren't overly exciting to look at. These days, I wait until there have been repeated reports of a rare bird that I'd really like to see for the first time. The White Ibis fit that profile. I got tips from a fellow birder friend of mine (thanks Anthony). 

He let me know about a location site the day before but I was a mile into the woods and too far away at the time, so I headed out at 6am the next day to the town of Clinton to try my luck. As soon as I arrived I hit the jackpot! Believe me, it is a jackpot because it doesn't always work out that way. A lot of times you end up making these trips only to come up empty!There were 7 of them but I could only get 6 into the frame. From what I was told, the birders who went there before me and after me weren't able to find them. That can be very frustrating when you know you barely missed them!

The White Ibis was both a life bird and a county bird for me!