Experts puzzled by razorbill rescue

Thursday, May 15, 2014, 17:13 by 

Tom Wilkinson, Press Association

Bird experts were puzzled after a razorbill was rescued 60 miles from the coast - only the third time in a century that the seabird has been spotted inland.

Vanessa Hill was on the way to pick up her daughter from school in Tockwith, North Yorkshire, when she saw what she thought was a penguin on the quiet country lane.

The mother, who runs Leeds Cat Rescue, coaxed the bird into a bag and took it to a vets to be checked over.

She said: "He looked a bit confused when I found him and was very indignant when I tried to gather him up - I got a nasty peck for my troubles too.

"I looked online to see where razorbills 'hang out' and came across RSPB Bempton Cliffs, so got in touch with them."

Continued

Penguin-like bird pops up in Brevard

Scientists not sure why this cold-weather critter so far south

They typically winter no farther south than New Jersey. Maybe Hurricane Sandy steered them off course or disrupted their usual diet of schooling fish.

Biologists aren’t sure why razorbills, penguin-like birds, have flocked to the Space Coast and elsewhere in Florida.

The black birds with white underbellies flapped their way to Kennedy Space Center, where Audubon members spotted a few recently during their annual Christmas Bird Count.

“Everybody’s talking about it,” said Ned Steel, who coordinates the Audubon count on Merritt Island, which includes the secure  area of the space center.

Blogging birders have dubbed it a “razorbill invasion of Florida,” posting their photos as proof on a Google pin map.

Continued:  http://www.floridatoday.com/article/20121227/NEWS01/312270040/Penguin-like-bird-pops-up-Brevard?nclick_check=1