CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — People flocking to Charlie's Pasture in Port Aransas are hoping to catch a glimpse of an experience unique to the Coastal Bend.
Three wild, pink flamingoes have been seen near the south tower, which has the local birding community desperate for a gander at the rare visitors.
"Usually they are not seen here," said Port Aransas Nature Reserve Natural Resource Specialist Justin Quintanilla. "This is the first sighting of wild flamingoes."
A number of folks have been posting their photos of the flamingoes online.
Mary Goldsmith, a wildlife photographer, was one of the few people to get a clear set of shots of the shy birds.
On the other hand, Scott Holt has been trying to get a good shot of the birds, but because they are staying hundreds of yards away from areas accessible to people, even professional cameras and Holt's long-lens camera are having trouble getting a good shot.
The retired marine biologist believes the unusual sighting is a side effect of Hurricane Idalia, which churned into the Gulf of Mexico and made contact with Central America and the Yucatán Peninsula, finally making landfall in Florida.
The birds are native to Mexico's Yucatán region.
"When you get an unexpected bird showing up, yeah that’s really exciting,” he said.
A flock of flamingoes lives at the Texas State Aquarium, but President and CEO Jesse Gilbert said it's not surprising that this trio is keeping its distance from people.
"They are wild animals and are certainly not used to people and they live in some pretty remote areas in Mexico, so they’re off-course, and that they’re here in Port Aransas is interesting,” he said.
Holt said the flamingoes could end up staying here, but more than likely will, instead, take off and head back to Mexico when it gets too cold.
"So, if you don’t have an expensive camera or a great telescope, you could just enjoy an up-close look at the birds at the aquarium,” he said. "You could go to the zoo and see anything, you know, but these are wild birds in the wild and so it’s unique in that sense.”