A big bird stopped traffic
Thursday.
"This is an ultra
rarity," said David Bradford, a high school biology teacher from Houston
and experienced birder.
Dozens of parked vehicles lined
Farm-to-Market Road 1090 after the sighting of a young jabiru.
Birders descended on a flooded
drainage ditch along FM 1090 at U.S. 87 to catch a glimpse of the bird.
Averaging a height of 55 inches
and a wingspan of 96 inches, the rare South and Central American stork is a
sight to behold.
"It's huge, and it's a
cool-looking bird," he said. "It's got a lot going for it."
According to the Texas Bird
Records Committee, Thursday's appearance will mark the 12th time the jabiru has
been sighted in Texas.
"It is one of my most wanted
birds in the state of Texas," Bradford said. "Everybody has their own
nemesis bird, and I've chased after this bird a number of times."
Although the jabiru is a rare
treat for Texas birders, the species is quite common in South and Central
America, said Petra Hockey, an experienced Calhoun County birder who has been
in the game since 1988.
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