All, I received a pix message on my phone at about 5:45 this evening from a friend, Ray Widergren, seeking some ID help on a bird. I nearly dropped my phone when I viewed a very obvious WHITE STORK. Celeste Rovner, a non-birder, got home from work this evening to see this bird perched directly on her roof top. She managed to snap a photo, which is here:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/39025168@N07/ The bird sat contently, perched on one leg, for some 5-10 minutes and flew off. Celeste lives just north of Patchogue-Medford High School. It is unclear as to the direction the bird flew. Celeste did not notice any bands on either leg but also wasn't specifically searching. While this bird is almost certainly an escape, its fun to fantasize that this known, long-range migrant might be lost on the wrong side of the ocean. Regardless of its origins, it would certainly be a neat bird to see on Long Island, or on our continent for that matter. I will keep the list informed if I receive any news or updates. The nearest zoo that I can think of is the Holtsville Ecology Park & Zoo. Only 2.5 linear miles from where the stork was photographed. I have never visited this site and have no idea what types of animals are at this facility. I tried reaching out to them this evening but it seems the facility is closed for the day. Best, Derek Rogers Sayville -- NYSbirds-L List Info: http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NYSbirdsWELCOME http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NYSbirdsRULES http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NYSbirdsSubscribeConfigurationLeave.htm ARCHIVES: 1) http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]/maillist.html 2) http://www.surfbirds.com/birdingmail/Group/NYSBirds-L 3) http://birdingonthe.net/mailinglists/NYSB.html Please submit your observations to eBird: http://ebird.org/content/ebird/ --
