Flocking to see a rare bird (brown Booby)

[Donna]

Coos Bay got a bit of a tourism boost over the last several days, as 200 or so birders came to the bay to see a rare brown booby that is hanging out near Charleston.

People came to scope out the tropical bird from places including Eugene, Portland, Bend, McMinnville, Coos Bay and Washington.  The rare tropical bird showed up last week and is the fourth verified sighting of this species of bird in Oregon. The last local sighting was in October 2008, when a dead female washed ashore at Lighthouse Beach.

(Brown Booby on the right)