Going south!

The wayward Chilean flamingo had been hanging out on the edges of the freezing Ottawa River since November 6. She had been able to dodge all attempts to save her from the chilly waters for about a month. She is thought to have escaped from an estate in Litchfield, Connecticut when she suddenly discovered that she could fly.

The Chilean variety of flamingo lives in the temperate regions of South America and normally eats aquatic insects, shrimp-like animals and algae. They use their bill to strain out their food from the water that they scoop up. They normally live in large colonies.

This flamingo had been hanging out with migrating Canada geese, but they have already continued on south.

Attempts to round up the flamingo included:

• net traps
• plastic pink flamingos as decoys
• pre-recorded flamingo calls
• attempted ambushes from canoes
• a remote-controlled Canada goose decoy

Flamingo on the Loose Links

• Bird reports for the Ottawa Region
• Litchfield Connecticut
• Bird reports for Connecticut