El Nino?

WTF? A Rare Pink Flamingo Found On The Central Coast
Posted: Feb 11, 2010 5:00 PM PST
Updated: Feb 11, 2010 5:00 PM PST
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Rare Pink Flamingo Spotted On Central Coast
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MOSS LANDING, Calif. -They are typically found in Africa and there is a chance you'll see something like it in Las Vegas, but when Santa Cruz resident Alan Hiromura and his wife heard there was a flamingo at Elkhorn Slough they had to come down.

"My wife and I came to see the pink flamingo," says Hiromura. Well actually it's a lesser pink flamingo, meaning it is the smallest of the
six known species of the bird worldwide.

"My first reaction when I heard someone saw a flamingo was that they had seen a lawn ornament," said Tricia Wilson, Elkhorn slough naturalist. But much to her surprise, this was the real deal. These birds weigh about 4½ pounds, and stand about three feet tall but something about this particular flamingo caught the eyes of officials.

"He does have a yellow band on his leg which would indicate that he has been in captivity at some point in someone's hand," says Wilson.

 The local Audubon society and Zoos in the area were contacted about the new visitor and so far all flamingos at those zoos seem to be accounted for. The good news though, "he is surviving so obviously he is making a living, he is out there seems to be getting enough to keep going," Wilson says.

If you have information on how the flamingo managed to make it to the slough or who it may belong to, contact the Elkhorn Slough National Estuary at (831) 728-2822.

I am guessing it got caught up in one of the storms and pushed over. Maybe a zoo in the pacific lost a bird?

I heard about this on my dab trip. I guess they have shown up in the slough in the past. Pretty cool looking bird. Plus, it's good for all the tours & yak rental places!

So, maybe some dorado at Bean this July?

heck I got a 'cuda at MBK last year...Stranger crap has happened.

Doubt it's connected to El Nino. Chances are some jerkoff w/an illegal collection of animals probably lost a bird or dumped it. But it sure w/b cool to learn it migrated from elsewhere.

Doubt it's connected to El Nino.

I concur....gotta be global warming.