Tuesday, October 3, 2023

The "Catching A Glimpse Of A Juvenile White Ibis" Story

It was an ordinary day.  Bird watchers in Lancaster County had a rare opportunity to get a  glimpse of a white ibis around the Octoraro Lake as one of the warm-weather birds was spotted there recently.  


The juvenile bird, reportedly scavenging the waters by Mount Eden Road at the lake running along the Lancaster/Chester county line, is more brownish gray than white.  It has yet to grow into its full-white adult plumage.  The President of the nearby Lancaster County Bird Club, Ted Nichols, said this is the eighth sighting of a white ibis in the last 25 years in the county.  The bird was last reported around this time of year last year on the Conejohela Flat, south of Columbia in the Susquehanna River.  Seeing the white ibis somewhere in Pennsylvania has become a special annual  occurrence in Pennsylvania.  The bird, typically found in the southern United States year round, has expanded it breeding range northward, like many other bird species, as the climate warms.  Sightings are becoming more frequent in this part of Pennsyvania due to climate warming.  How long these birds will remain in the area is uncertain, so if you care to chance seeing one, head to Octoraro Lake in the near future.  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.      

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