INDIANAPOLIS — Even for an experienced birder like Katey Buster, whose home ornithology collection boasts 600 specimens from all 48 lower states, it was the sight of a lifetime. That of a classically pink, American flamingo, it’s elegant neck draped low over muddied Ohio River waters, hunting for food and so very far from home.
“When you see something as beautiful and as iconic as an American Flamingo, you know that that is the epitome of one of the coolest, rare birds you will ever see. Because it is so out of range,” Buster said.
Reports circulated the first weekend of September that a wild flamingo had been spotted feasting on mussels and crayfish near Patriot, Indiana - far-flung, indeed, from it’s native, tropical range that includes the Yucatan Peninsula, parts of the Caribbean and some parts of Florida.
Buster, a resident of Lexington, Kentucky, grabbed a friend, her camera and headed north over the Markland Bridge and into Switzerland County, where the flamingo had sought refuge from the ferocious, life-threatening winds of Hurricane Idalia.
She remembered the thrill of finally seeing a rumored bit of pink there among the changing autumn leaves.
“I got a little bit closer view and got a better photo by getting in a person's boat, who's a birder, and was very careful not to startle the bird,” Buster said.
Since those initial reports, dozens of people have made the trek to near the same spot along the Ohio River, sometimes from hours away, to get a glimpse of the rare flamingo usually only seen in Florida or parts of the Caribbean. The Evansville Area Birding group on Facebook now has several posts from more than six people who observed the flamingo throughout September.
“I named it ‘Flamingo Fever’,” Buster said of the interest generated by the flamingo. “To actually see one on the Ohio River, foraging, is just unbelievable.
Wildlife officials, including the Indiana and Kentucky Department of Natural Resources, are likewise keeping tabs on the seemingly lone flamingo weeks after Hurricane Idalia scattered hundreds of flamingos seeking safety across the United States, some as far north as Wisconsin.
Experts with the Indiana Audubon Society believe the angle of Hurricane Idalia cut right through the flamingos' habitat in Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula, where possibly 200,000 birds call home.
“These birds just kind of pick up ahead of the hurricane and recognize they got to get out of there,” said Brad Bumgardner, who is the executive director of the Indiana Audubon Society said. “Oftentimes, the direction of the hurricane tends to be a little sign of where the birds get displaced afterwards. So, it almost seems like they follow ahead of it, just trying to evade it.
When fall hurricanes come through, flamingos can get displaced hundreds or even thousands of miles, then slowly return back to their home ranges. That the flamingo in southern Indiana has yet to leave the area hints that it has a solid food source and, save for a slight limp it seems to have recovered from, may not be suffering in its temporary home. Although flamingos tend to be social animals, the Ohio River flamingo may even be basking in the lack of competition for food.
“I kind of equate it to, if you go to a buffet line, it doesn't mean that all these guys are friends and social, they just seem to be drawn to the same food source, in same way with all these flamingos” said Bumgardner.
The flamingo must keep a wary eye out for coyotes or foxes, similar to other herons native to Indiana, but may have another advantage there: it is likely accustomed to evading predators with a more powerful bite.
“By being in the water, that tends to add a little sense of protection - almost kind of like you can hear your predators trying to sneak up on you. Obviously, this is a bird that's in a range typically where it has alligators and such to contend with," Bumgardner said.
But sustenance now fueling the Ohio River flamingo will dwindle as temperatures continue to cool. When that happens, the flamingo is expected to move onto find new food sources. At that point, experts believe it may make its way back home. That's a big reason why wildlife officials are letting the flamingo enjoy its stay in Indiana without any multi-state push to relocate it, the bird has the instinct and ability to return home without our interference.
"Anyone lucky enough to see a flamingo in the wild should be sure to give them their space and not get too close. Birds need to rest, preen feathers, and forage for food so they can be in good condition to migrate south when they need to," said Marty Benson, who is an assistant communications director for the Indiana DNR.
Until then, Buster and other bird hobbyists are basking in this once-in-a-lifetime experience. Buster's father was president of her local Audubon Society and her sister had a longstanding love for all things flamingo. Their childhood table growing up came complete with a large pair of binoculars so they wouldn't miss out on a possible bird sighting out their window.
Spotting a flamingo serendipitously one day was something Buster had already been dreaming about long before one actually showed up.
“Believe it or not, I used to walk around the last couple years and I thought, it would it be cool today to see American Flamingo,” Buster said. "That this is happening is amazing."
You use the free tools eBird and Merlin to track bird sightings, learn more about birds, and to continue tracking the Ohio River flamingo.