Rare bird spotted near Bloomington

GREENE COUNTY, Ind. (WISH) - Whenever experienced bird watchers say, "What the heck is that?" there's a good chance they've spotted something unusual.

That's exactly what happened at Goose Pond Fish and Wildlife Area in Greene County. The wildlife area consists of 8400 acres. Almost 1/2 is under water.

Brimming with wildlife, more than 254 species of birds have been spotted there over the past 10 years. One of the most unusual ones was spotted this month; a Roseate Spoonbill.

"It's got a very long bill that has a big spoon on the end and it actually siphon's off, swishes it back and forth and sipon's food out of the water. It's a very strange looking bird," said Lee Sterrenburg.

Sterrenburg was one of the first to see it. Bird enthusiast Jim Sullivan took more than a dozen pictures.

The breed is found in South America, the Caribbean and the Gulf Coast. This is the first documented sighting in Indiana's history.

"It's weird when that happens. You just recognize what it is. Sort of the excitement, almost the excitement doesn't hit you," said Sterrenburg.

That excitement of seeing something so unusual in Indiana spread quickly. Bird watchers flocked to the area. One drove in from East Lansing, Michigan

"There were cars lined up and down the highway just looking at it. And the darned thing wasn't but a 100 yards off the highway. It was right there where everybody could see it. It was just perfect you know," said property manager Brad Feaster.

He said there are rarer birds on the property, even endangered birds. But the fact that a Roseate Spoonbill turned up helped put Goose Pond on the bird watchers map.

Dave Crouch drove two hours to see it. He wasn't disappointed. Now he feels a little spoiled.

Those who saw the bird know they're lucky. They even feel a little spoiled.

"Yes. But, keep on spoiling me," said Crouch.

The bird was first spotted on June 2, then June 11 and everyday after that until last Sunday. No one has seen it since. But Goose Pond is so large; the Roseate Spoonbill may still be there.