Thursday, October 20, 2011

White-faced Ibis Visits Portland Fairgrounds!

 I met 3 other birders at the fairgrounds this morning to start an assessment as to whether Wangunk Meadows can qualify for special designation as an important area for birds. (I was with Patrick Comins, Corrie Folsum-O'keefe, and Alison Guinness).

  I've seen Ibis down at the shore a couple of times but was surprised to see one sitting at the pond at the fairgrounds. When we took a closer look at the ibis it appeared to have a red iris and pink skin coloration around the face. This would indicate it is a White-faced Ibis, not a glossy. It also seemed to be smaller than the Glossy Ibis's that I've seen. It's a rare sighting for this area so we took photos for verification (thanks Luke Tiller).
It was quite an exciting find!

click to play
Here's a short video clip of the Ibis in action.

note: If you happen to do any birding at Wangunk Meadows, please log sightings on e-bird. It will help with the project. Caution, Wangunk Meadows is an active hunting area.

11 comments:

Dan Huber said...

very nice find Larry.

dan

Larry said...

Thanks Dan-It was fortunate that we happened to be meeting there that morning.

Brightcetera said...

That IS very exciting!
I've yet to see one of either Ibis.
Great find!

Jen Sanford said...

Awesome find, hopefully it will help demonstrate the importance of the area!

eileeninmd said...

Great sighting and photos. Congrats!

John said...

I always assumed that ibis only live in tropical and subtropical areas. Shows how much knowledge you get from assuming!

Larry said...

fitcetera-thanks for the visit for stopping by.

Jen-It probably helped to bring a little more attention to the area.

eileen-thanks

John-This one is just here for the visit. They are tropical but are also present in western USA during summer and migration.

Kathie Brown said...

Larry, while I have seen plenty of white-faced ibises in Utah and AZ I would never have even imagined one could be in CT. How amazing! I hope that area gets it's designation. Good for you for being thorough. I am really glad I finally got to meet you too!

Warren and Lisa Strobel said...

Wonderful find, Larry! I still need this bird for my Maryland list. Tried for and missed it a couple of times this year.

Good Birding!
W&L

Larry said...

(response from Larry)

Kathiebirds-I was lucky enough to be there at the right time with someone who knew enough that it could be a WFI.-but thanks.

Warren and Lisa-Hopefully the third time wil be the charm!

deena said...
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