How long will the flamingos stay in Franklin County?

It's hard to say how long Franklin County's famous visitors from Florida will stick around, but the flamingos will probably leave on their own without any intervention, according to an official with the Pennsylvania Game Commission.

It is going on a week since the pair of flamingos was first spotted at Long Lane Pond in St. Thomas Township after Hurricane Idalia hit the west coast of Florida and blew them off course.

The male flamingo is being treated at Raven Ridge Wildlife Center in Lancaster County for leg injuries it suffered when a snapping turtle latched onto its leg Monday, according to Facebook posts from the game commission and the wildlife center. A bird watcher rescued the flamingo after noticing it was struggling and could not free itself. The game warden for Franklin County responded to the scene and transported the flamingo for treatment.

“At this point, it is just kind of wait and see how the rehab goes for the (male). If the (female) is still there at that point, they will be reunited,” said Lt. Amy Nabozny of the Pennsylvania Game Commission – Southcentral region.

The goal is to let nature run things at this point, she added. Moving the wild animals, whether necessary or not, would cause them stress.

Nabozny predicted the flamingos were sticking around to rest and recover after their windy ride up the East Coast.

Nabozny compared it to when loons land in Pennsylvania. The bird, which needs water to take off and fly, will sometimes end up over the state and mistake foggy fields for water, then land in unfamiliar territory. The game commission will move them to water if necessary, and they stay put anywhere from a day or two to several weeks before flying away.

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Sole flamingo still drawing onlookers

Gabe Leidy was among the nearly dozen people standing along Long Lane late Wednesday morning, many using cameras with long lenses or scopes to get a close look at the long flamingo.

The experience was well worth the 4 1/2-hour drive from his home near Cleveland.

"It just puts it all in perspective being here," he said. "I mean driving through mountains upon mountains upon mountains then through this little sleepy town and then boom, there's a flamingo."

Photography is a part-time job for Leidy, who enjoys shooting nature and cityscapes. He went back and forth on whether to make the trip to Pennsylvania but decided he couldn't miss this opportunity. Ohio had some flamingo visitors of its own after the recent hurricane, but they stayed for not even a day.

"There's clearly abundant prey in there," he said of the pond. "Be it snails or crustaceans or something of that nature."

Andy Nelsen, of Gettysburg, estimated he had taken around 1,000 photos of the flamingo since he came to check it out the first time on Monday afternoon.

"It's an amazing sight to see," he said. "I'm not going to photograph this again probably in my lifetime."

Living just a few miles east on U.S. 30, Jim Bruckart has stopped by to see the flamingos — now flamingo — several times, including three times just on Sunday. He was there Monday after the game commission arrived and took away the second bird.

He said he is curious about what will happen to the flamingo that remains.

"Now, it's been a few days since the snapping turtle (bit the male bird)," he said. "It seems the snapping turtle decided it wasn't a tasty meal or something like that, so at least this one seems to be getting enough food."

The unexpected pink visitors have demonstrated that people will come from far and wide to Franklin County for something different, Bruckart said. There are many "positive stories" involved in the experience.

"You come out here and you can literally, the photographers have their long lenses, the bird people have their scopes, and the local people are just walking around wide-eyed hoping to get a picture with their cellphone," he said, adding those with lenses and scopes are usually willing to share their view.

If you go to see the flamingo(s)

Nabony said onlookers should take care to respect the private property where the pond is located, as well as the birds.

"Obviously don't just go traipsing across private property," she said. "Give the bird the space it needs and don't go close."

The pond is located on Long Lane, which is a few-minute drive north of U.S. 30 via St. Thomas-Edenville or Maxheimer roads in St. Thomas Township.

Amber South can be reached at asouth@publicopinionnews.com.

This article originally appeared on Chambersburg Public Opinion: Nature sets rules for Franklin County flamingos: Pa. Game Commission