Thursday Birdblogging

The Roseate Spoonbill pictured is gracing Fenwick in Delaware with its blush. An account from the press, thanks to Nancy Willing, in Delaware environs.

An account of the dramatic appearance:

Then, it happened.

"There it is, flying right across the channel," he shouted.

And there it was -- a blush of pink against the blue water of Fenwick Ditch.

The spoonbill is more at home in the mangrove swamps and tidal marshes of Texas, Louisiana and Florida.

But, somehow, this bird ended up in Delaware.

"I think it's fair to say this bird has never been seen in Delaware," said Maurice V. Barnhill III, one of the authors of "Birds of Delaware."

That's not to say the species hasn't been in Delaware before, because they have been spotted in Cape May -- and the typical flight pattern would have been through Delaware, he said.

Still, this bird, has "definitely drawn a lot of attention" in the birding community, said Derek Stoner, president of the Delmarva Ornithological Society.

Dozens of people have driven to Fenwick Island just for a chance to see the bird.