Hurricane Ida may have spurred Spoonbill to Ohio
Low air pressure and strong winds from Hurricane Ida may be responsible for placing an unfamiliar fowl in Ohio.
A juvenile Roseate Spoonbill was seen in the wetlands area of Gibsonburg this week as many birds are experiencing a reverse migration of sorts due to the tropical weather events in the south.
Birders from throughout Ohio have been flocking to the Doug Haubert Wetlands Area in Gibsonburg to catch a glimpse of the Spoonbill.
Mark Shieldcastle, research director at Black Swamp Bird Observatory in Carroll Township, said the bird may have rode the winds of recent tropical weather in the south with Hurricane Ida's 150 mph winds possibly responsible for the Spoonbill's rare appearance in Ohio.
Most of these non-migratory birds stay in the south, but some birds, especially juveniles who are a little less established than their elders, will reverse migrate when air pressure lowers or tropical storms and hurricanes pass through the southern region of the United States.
Shieldcastle said it is unknown how many birds reverse migrate or where they end up in the north.
“They are trying to escape,” Shieldcastle said. “They feel the (air) pressure change and they try to get out.”
But some do not make it out on their own and can be swept up by strong winds said could blow them anywhere.
The downside to many juvenile fowl leaving or being swept away by storms is they can often struggle to find their way back home, and if they are alone, could contribute to the reduction of their species.