Here's a little more information on the Glossy Ibis I found this morning on
the golf course at Hains Point, District of Columbia.
The bird was first seen at about 10:15 a.m.; I was driving toward Hains
Point on the main road into the park, just south of the intersection with
Buckeye Drive (the east-west road that runs across the north end of the
golf course, when I noticed a very dark bird close to the chain link fence
that separates the 7th Fairway of the golf course from the grassy verge by
the main road - I first thought it might be a Coot. I could not park the
car along this stretch (it is sign-posted "No Parking" until 11 a.m.,
presumably to deter commuter parking). I did a U-turn as soon as I could
and parked back up by the tennis area on the north side on Buckeye Drive.
When I walked back down the road, paralleling the 7th Fairway, I came
across the bird about 70% of the way down to the 7th hole, still close to
the chain link fence, feeding actively and probing deeply alongside a
narrow, water-filled channel formed during the recent rains. Its
down-curved bill was a medium dirty pink except at the tip, where it was
dark. The eye and legs were very dark. Head, neck, and chest were an
extremely dark, even brown. Back and wings were glossy dark, with definite
green tones. The bill color reminded me of White Ibis bill color (reddish
pink), but this bird had absolutely no white feathers anywhere and
certainly wasn't a White Ibis, nor do I believe that it was a White-faced
(I wish!).
The bird did not fly at any time while I watched it, even though several
hackers came close and one person drove a golf cart right by it. It was
still in roughly the same area when I left at just after 11:00 a.m. As
luck would have it, I had not brought my digital camera with me.
Having looked at various field guides, I really can not conclude for sure
whether this was an adult bird in non-breeding plumage or perhaps a young
bird. Glossy Ibis is not a species I see very often, and even then they
are usually a good distance away.
Thanks to Lydia ('The Voice') Schindler for posting for me this morning
while I was still out and about in D.C.
Mike Bowen
Bethesda, MD
D. H. Michael Bowen (Mike)
8609 Ewing Drive
Bethesda MD 20817-3845
Tel/Fax: (301) 530-5764
e-mail: dhmbowen@xxxxxxxxx
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