Pixtus - Photography Forum, Photographers, Photo Tips

Polimom · **What's wrong with this bird?? -** 01-20-2009, 06:34 PM

Out hiking in the back of beyond in George Bush Park today, and I saw a White Ibis (I think!?) behaving oddly. It was walking right down the middle of the trail in front of my dog and me, and it stopped to eat out of a mud hole in the middle of the way.

I tried to shoot some images of it, but it was just a bit too far away, and I really didn't have the right lens on the camera. But when I was looking at the bird on camera, I noticed something looked very wrong with it.

I thought at first it was a molt, but I don't think this is the right time of year? And that wouldn't explain the lumpy areas around its face, anyway.

This is a hard crop on a not-so-hot-in-the-first-place photo, but you'll see what I mean.

Any ideas what's going on here? Has anybody ever seen anything like that? For the record -- I know it can fly, because my dog eventually got tired of just watching it and chased it up into the air... and it flew away altogether.

slickshooter · 01-20-2009, 06:50 PM

I have never seen an Ibis look like that before.Looks like maybe to much fish from our polluted waters.Pretty bizzare

Polimom · 01-20-2009, 06:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by slickshooter

I have never seen an Ibis look like that before.Looks like maybe to much fish from our polluted waters.Pretty bizzare

Ah! Hadn't thought of polluted food. That's possible, I suppose.

I gotta tell ya - -this freaked me right out when I saw what his face looked like.

::shudder::

Dave In La · 01-20-2009, 07:07 PM

strange....he could have possibly been severely injured and had some sort of infection.
I once saw a yellow crown night heron that looked awful

Polimom · 01-20-2009, 09:33 PM

Infection on an injury makes sense too, Dave. I was worrying that it might be something in the bird population or something, that was going to wipe them out. (I'm easily alarmed...). I like y'alls possibilities much better.