By Charles McMahon
cmcmahon@seacoastonline.com
December 27, 2012 2:00 AM
PORTSMOUTH — While many people spent their
Christmas Eve running errands and picking up some last-minute presents, local
resident Jack Farrell found himself attempting to return a special ocean-going
bird to its natural habitat.
Farrell, who is the island manager for Star
Island Corp., said the unique experience began early Christmas Eve morning,
when he got a phone call from a neighbor telling him about a "strange
bird" that had been found on the Seacoast.
The bird, which was identified as a Dovekie, was
one of three found on the Seacoast not long after a storm struck the region
late last week, Farrell said.
The Dovekie, a small, chunky, black and white
bird, had been taken to the Center For Wildlife in Cape Neddick, Maine. As it
turns out, the bird was the only one of three found locally to survive since it
became stranded.
Because Dovekies are native to the open Atlantic
Ocean, they must be in offshore waters to survive. That meant the bird, which
is part of the puffin family, would need to be returned to open water before it
was too late.
"They typically spend most of their time
out in the open ocean," said Sonja Ahlberg, wildlife specialist with the
Center for Wildlife.
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