Photo courtesy of Carolle Eady |
It is exceptional in that only a dozen or so WFIB have been documented for the province and never before for northern Ontario. The bird's behaviour and site-fidelity have resulted in excellent documentation photos that leave no doubt as to the species. Note the complete white border to the face, the red eye and reddish legs - clinchers for WFIB (vs. the closely related Glossy Ibis).
Photo courtesy of Carolle Eady |
As of November 2012 the Ontario Bird Record Committee had reviewed 129 Plegadis ibis reports of which only 70 supported specific ID, i.e.,
- 11 White-faced
- 59 Glossy
- 59 Glossy/White-faced aka Plegadis sp.
The range of the White-faced Ibis has been steadily expanding northwards over the last century. Breeding has been documented in nearby Manitoba, Minnesota and North Dakota. A quick glance at an eBird plot of occurrences from the region - red points indicate recent sightings - suggests to me the addition of WFIB to the list of northern Ontario birds was due, if not overdue.
Update: May 3.
On May 2, Evan Timusk turned up a Plegadis ibis at Pither's Point Park in Ft. Frances. The encounter lasted only a minute or so but Evan was able to observe a thin white border to the face and a dark, but not red eye. Thus, the bird might have been northern Ontario's first Glossy Ibis although Evan notes that a second year White-faced is a possibility. In either case, this is the first occurrence of a Plegadis ibis in the Fort Frances District. Well done Evan!
In recent days Andy Nyhus from Winona, MN has been enjoying a great showing of ibis in our neighbouring state. The most remarkable find was an apparent Glossy Ibis in Olmstead Co. (a county first) on April 30th.
Glossy Ibis. April 30, 2013. Olmstead Co., MN. Courtesy of Andy Nyhus. |
GLIB and WFIB. April 27, 2013. Houston Co., MN. Courtesy of Andy Nyhus |
Acknowledgment: Many thanks to Carolle Eady, Evan Timusk and Andrew Nyhus (here's Andy's photography website) for sharing news and/or photographs of their recent ibis encounters.
Related: Shaffer, J.A., Knutsen, G.A., Martin, R.E. and J.S. Brice. 2007. Pattern and potential causes of White-faced Ibis, Plegadis chihi, establishment in the northern prairie and parkland region of North America. Canadian Field-Naturalist 121(1): 46-57. (pdf)
Very cool. Nice to see you posting again after a few months.
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