Sunday morning, Ross Getman went to the Inner Harbor area to see the American white pelican, which has resulted in bird watching enthusiasts from around Central New York and beyond flocking to Syracuse the past week.
He said on Sunday there were "quite a few people coming and going" to see the bird, many taking pictures. For good reason. American white pelicans are rare for these parts and they normally migrate to the Gulf of Mexico this time of year.
And then the idea came to Getman.
"I was just wondering if we might give him or her a name and adopt him as a community mascot," he said, initially thinking that the bird looked like an Anthony.
No one at this point – including an official from the Cornell Lab of Ornithology who came up last week to check the bird out – have been able to figure out whether the bird is a male or a female.
"As for his name, I don't presume to naming rights. Perhaps he is Ferdinand. We name newborns at the zoo. No reason we cannot name the Syracuse pelican," Getman said.
Greg Craybas, a Syracuse dentist and well-known, local wildlife photographer, spent hours this past weekend on the shore of the Inner Harbor photographing the bird. He submitted the lion's share of photographs in the above photo gallery.
"Onondaga Lake is a part of the Atlantic flyway for migrating birds, but this bird is trying to 'Find Nemo,' " Craybas said. "There was a pelican named Nigel in that movie that traveled around."
What do you think this wayward, out-of-place pelican should be named?
By the way, I drove to the Inner Harbor this morning. At 10 a.m., Anthony, Ferdinand, Nigel -- or whatever you want to call him – was still swimming about.
Resource: http://www.syracuse.com
No comments:
Post a Comment