Latest news with #HoriconMarshBirdClub
Fox News
3 hours ago
- General
- Fox News
Rare sighting as threatened bird species likely got lost, ending up 1,000 miles from home in Wisconsin
Even birds can get turned around from time to time. A rare subtropical wood stork was spotted in a very unexpected place recently – Wisconsin, after the bird apparently got lost inflight. The wood stork typically lives in the Gulf Coast states as well as Central and South America. The bird, which is listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act, was first seen last Sunday by a man hunting deer in the Mud Lake Wildlife Area in Columbia County, Wisconsin, northeast of Madison. "It's always fascinating where these birds come from and where they end up," Horicon Marsh Bird Club President Jeff Bahls, who is also a wildlife technician for the state Department of Natural Resources, said. "This is the time of year when we do get these oddball stray birds," he added. The hunter first sent Bahls photos of the wood stork that he took during the sighting on Sunday. Bahls viewed the bird for himself on Monday, saying he thinks it's a juvenile that hatched this spring because of its light-colored bill. As wood storks get older, their bills eventually turn black. He said young wood storks typically go exploring in the summer because they have no territory. They are also the only species of stork that breeds in North America. The stork was last seen on Tuesday flying northeast with a flock of pelicans. The wood stork was once endangered with only 5,000 nesting pairs in the United States in the 1970s, but as of 2023 that had grown to more than 11,000 nesting pairs, according to the Center for Biological Diversity. The birds became a protected species in 1984. Wood storks have also been forced to move north because of habitat destruction and climate change. "The wood stork has made a remarkable comeback, but wetland destruction from urban sprawl still looms large over the species," Stephanie Kurose of the Center for Biological Diversity previously said in a statement. "The Service needs to ensure that wetlands will be protected. It's also crucial to continue to adequately monitor the stork's population to make sure ongoing threats don't undo this hard-fought success."
a day ago
- General
Deer hunter discovers rare subtropical wood stork in the wilds of Wisconsin
MADISON, Wis. -- A very rare and apparently very confused subtropical wood stork somehow found its way to the wilds of Wisconsin. A hunter scouting for deer first sighted the bird Sunday in a remote section of the Mud Lake Wildlife Area in Columbia County, about 35 miles (56 kilometers) northeast of Madison, the state's capital, said Horicon Marsh Bird Club President Jeff Bahls. The hunter snapped some photos of the stork and sent them to Bahls, who doubles as a wildlife technician for the state Department of Natural Resources. Bahls confirmed that the bird in question was indeed a wood stork. He said it was likely a juvenile that may have hatched this spring since its bill was light-colored. Adult wood storks' bills typically turn black as they mature, he said. Bahls trekked into the wildlife area and saw the bird for himself on Monday, he said. Some other hikers also glimpsed the stork that day, he said. It hasn't been seen since Tuesday morning, when it was spotted flying northeast with a flock of pelicans, Bahls said. Wood storks are typically found in Gulf Coast states and Central and South America. They're listed as threatened under the federal Endangered Species Act. They're the only stork species that breeds in the United States, according to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. Wood storks typically grow as long as 35 to 45 inches (89 to 114 centimeters) with wingspans reaching around 5 1/2 feet (1.7 meters). Their heads and upper necks are covered with scaly gray skin rather than feathers. The only sound they can produce is a hissing noise. Climate change and habitat loss have been forcing birds north. Immature wood storks have no territory and typically explore during the late summer, Bahls said. The one that visited Wisconsin probably just got lost, he said. Birders flocked to Green Bay in August 2023 after a shorebird known as a roseate spoonbill was spotted in the area, the first sighting of such a bird in Wisconsin since 1845, and that bird was dead. Like the wood stork, that species is usually found in Gulf Coast states and Central and South America. Birders and scientists speculated that a storm blew the bird off course or, like the wood stork, it just got lost. 'It's always fascinating where these birds come from and where they end up,' Bahls said. 'This is the time of year when we do get these oddball stray birds.'
Washington Post
a day ago
- General
- Washington Post
Deer hunter discovers rare subtropical wood stork in the wilds of Wisconsin
MADISON, Wis. — A very rare and apparently very confused subtropical wood stork somehow found its way to the wilds of Wisconsin. A hunter scouting for deer first sighted the bird Sunday in a remote section of the Mud Lake Wildlife Area in Columbia County, about 35 miles (56 kilometers) northeast of Madison, the state's capital, said Horicon Marsh Bird Club President Jeff Bahls. The hunter snapped some photos of the stork and sent them to Bahls, who doubles as a wildlife technician for the state Department of Natural Resources. Bahls confirmed that the bird in question was indeed a wood stork. He said it was likely a juvenile that may have hatched this spring since its bill was light-colored. Adult wood storks' bills typically turn black as they mature, he said. Bahls trekked into the wildlife area and saw the bird for himself on Monday, he said. Some other hikers also glimpsed the stork that day, he said. It hasn't been seen since Tuesday morning, when it was spotted flying northeast with a flock of pelicans, Bahls said. Wood storks are typically found in Gulf Coast states and Central and South America. They're listed as threatened under the federal Endangered Species Act. They're the only stork species that breeds in the United States, according to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. Wood storks typically grow as long as 35 to 45 inches (89 to 114 centimeters) with wingspans reaching around 5 1/2 feet (1.7 meters). Their heads and upper necks are covered with scaly gray skin rather than feathers. The only sound they can produce is a hissing noise. Climate change and habitat loss have been forcing birds north. Immature wood storks have no territory and typically explore during the late summer, Bahls said. The one that visited Wisconsin probably just got lost, he said. Birders flocked to Green Bay in August 2023 after a shorebird known as a roseate spoonbill was spotted in the area, the first sighting of such a bird in Wisconsin since 1845, and that bird was dead. Like the wood stork, that species is usually found in Gulf Coast states and Central and South America. Birders and scientists speculated that a storm blew the bird off course or, like the wood stork, it just got lost. 'It's always fascinating where these birds come from and where they end up,' Bahls said. 'This is the time of year when we do get these oddball stray birds.'
San Francisco Chronicle
a day ago
- General
- San Francisco Chronicle
Deer hunter discovers rare subtropical wood stork in the wilds of Wisconsin
MADISON, Wis. (AP) — A very rare and apparently very confused subtropical wood stork somehow found its way to the wilds of Wisconsin. A hunter scouting for deer first sighted the bird Sunday in a remote section of the Mud Lake Wildlife Area in Columbia County, about 35 miles (56 kilometers) northeast of Madison, the state's capital, said Horicon Marsh Bird Club President Jeff Bahls. The hunter snapped some photos of the stork and sent them to Bahls, who doubles as a wildlife technician for the state Department of Natural Resources. Bahls confirmed that the bird in question was indeed a wood stork. He said it was likely a juvenile that may have hatched this spring since its bill was light-colored. Adult wood storks' bills typically turn black as they mature, he said. Bahls trekked into the wildlife area and saw the bird for himself on Monday, he said. Some other hikers also glimpsed the stork that day, he said. It hasn't been seen since Tuesday morning, when it was spotted flying northeast with a flock of pelicans, Bahls said. Wood storks are typically found in Gulf Coast states and Central and South America. They're listed as threatened under the federal Endangered Species Act. They're the only stork species that breeds in the United States, according to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. Wood storks typically grow as long as 35 to 45 inches (89 to 114 centimeters) with wingspans reaching around 5 1/2 feet (1.7 meters). Their heads and upper necks are covered with scaly gray skin rather than feathers. The only sound they can produce is a hissing noise. Climate change and habitat loss have been forcing birds north. Immature wood storks have no territory and typically explore during the late summer, Bahls said. The one that visited Wisconsin probably just got lost, he said. Birders flocked to Green Bay in August 2023 after a shorebird known as a roseate spoonbill was spotted in the area, the first sighting of such a bird in Wisconsin since 1845, and that bird was dead. Like the wood stork, that species is usually found in Gulf Coast states and Central and South America. Birders and scientists speculated that a storm blew the bird off course or, like the wood stork, it just got lost. 'It's always fascinating where these birds come from and where they end up,' Bahls said. 'This is the time of year when we do get these oddball stray birds.'
CBS News
a day ago
- General
- CBS News
Deer hunter discovers rare subtropical wood stork in the wilds of Wisconsin
A very rare, and apparently very confused, subtropical wood stork somehow found its way to the wilds of Wisconsin. A hunter scouting for deer first sighted the bird Sunday in a remote section of the Mud Lake Wildlife Area in Columbia County, about 35 miles northeast of Madison, the state's capital, said Horicon Marsh Bird Club President Jeff Bahls. The hunter snapped some photos of the stork and sent them to Bahls, who doubles as a wildlife technician for the state Department of Natural Resources. Bahls confirmed that the bird in question was indeed a wood stork. He said it was likely a juvenile that may have hatched this spring since its bill was light-colored. Adult wood storks' bills typically turn black as they mature, he said. Bahls trekked into the wildlife area and saw the bird for himself on Monday, he said. Some other hikers also glimpsed the stork that day, he said. It hasn't been seen since Tuesday morning, when it was spotted flying northeast with a flock of pelicans, Bahls said. Wood storks are typically found in Gulf Coast states and Central and South America. They're listed as threatened under the federal Endangered Species Act. They're the only stork species that breeds in the United States, according to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. Wood storks typically grow as long as 35 to 45 inches with wingspans reaching around 5 1/2 feet. Their heads and upper necks are covered with scaly gray skin rather than feathers. The only sound they can produce is a hissing noise. Climate change and habitat loss have been forcing birds north. Immature wood storks have no territory and typically explore during the late summer, Bahls said. The one that visited Wisconsin probably just got lost, he said. Birders flocked to Green Bay in August 2023 after a shorebird known as a roseate spoonbill was spotted in the area, the first sighting of such a bird in Wisconsin since 1845, and that bird was dead. Like the wood stork, that species is usually found in Gulf Coast states and Central and South America. Birders and scientists speculated that a storm blew the bird off course or, like the wood stork, it just got lost. "It's always fascinating where these birds come from and where they end up," Bahls said. "This is the time of year when we do get these oddball stray birds."
