Suffolk SPCA Calling For Information On Rare Duck Sighting In Stony Brook Area

STONY BROOK, NY — The Mandarin duck made a big splash in the pond so to speak.

But it's been a while, and not even a feather has been seen, officially, that is.

The sightings had the birding community flocking to the Stony Brook area, prompting animal advocates' concerns about the focused attention cramping the bird's style, seem to have stopped.

Suffolk's Society of Prevention of Cruelty to Animals is now asking members of the public for more information about sightings of the bird so that it might be rescued before harsher weather sets in this coming winter, the agency's Chief Roy Gross told Patch.

Also, if anyone knows where it came from.

He's encouraging people to come forward and aid the rescue effort with more information.

It's not the first time an exotic animal was found in the county — SPCA has handled numerous cases over the years.

They either escape captivity, or people don't release what it takes to care for them, and they release them into the wild Gross said adding that if the latter is proven, and the duck was someone's pet then released, the former owner could face abandonment or cruelty charges.

With this latest case serving as inspiration, Gross said he hopes that anyone who has an exotic animal that they cannot take care of will reach out for help so that the animal can be placed in a sanctuary.

The bird is known as a "lifer" in the birding community because it's considered a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to catch a glimpse of it.

The duck was first spotted in late November at a neighborhood pond in Stony Brook, and animal advocates believe it didn't fly to Long Island from Asia, but rather was a pet and either escaped or was released.

Given its likely domesticity, there has been some concern about it surviving on its own in the wild.

Gross was working with Head of Harbor Police to allow licensed wildlife rehabilitators to capture the animal for transfer to a sanctuary, but the plan never hatched.

The state's Department of Environmental Conservation has no jurisdiction over the matter because the bird is a species that is non-indigenous to New York, a spokeswoman said.

The National Audubon Society does not track exotic sightings, a spokesman said.

The society's local chapter, Four Harbors Audubon, did not previously respond to a request for comment.

The SPCA can be reached at (631) 382-7722.