People Are Flocking to this Michigan Town to See a Rare Bird

A bird not native to Michigan has appeared in our state for the first time EVEr and it has caught the attention of visitors all across Michigan (and beyond) to go see it for themselves.

The Detroit Free Press has pictures of bird watchers standing alongside the road in Saline trying to get pictures of the Roseate Spoonbill bird. The Spoonbill is a waterbird with a light pink body, long legs, and a long beak. The Free Press says these birds are most common in the Caribbean and South America but also live along the coast of Florida, Texas, and southwest Louisiana ( via Audubon.org).

However, this is the first time that a spoonbill has ever been reported in Michigan. It landed  in a pond across from the DNR Saline Fisheries Research Station. So how did it get here? DNR thinks it either escaped a zoo or is "very confused." I'm not sure why it's confused but maybe it just wanted to start fresh in a new place. There's nothing wrong with starting over sometimes, LOL.

However, a zoo expert with the U of M Museum of Zoology told the Free Press that it was inevitable for this bird to make its way to the Mitten state.

In the late summer, it's normal for young water birds such as spoonbills, herons and storks to wander. Sometimes they wander a bit too far.

As of this past Tuesday, people were still traveling to see the bird but the crowds have gotten smaller. I haven't seen anything recent on what the DNR plans on doing with the unexpected visitor... if anything at all.

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