Pittsburgh bird watchers! In case you haven’t heard, the largest duck on the planet is migrating to our three rivers on September 27.
Last seen in Hong Kong Harbor, Florentijn Hofman’s Rubber Duck is making his very first visit to the United States and has chosen to land in Pittsburgh thanks to the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust’s International Festival of Firsts.
Rumor has it he will begin his U.S. voyage on the Ohio River near the West End Bridge, swimming upstream to roost on the Allegheny River near the Roberto Clemente Bridge (a.k.a. the Sixth Street Bridge) — but check here at the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust website for last minute details.
As you can imagine his movements are constrained by his height, reputed to be 50 feet tall. (There is some disagreement on this. Some media outlets say he’s only 40 feet tall. We’ll have to ask the American Ornithologists’ Union for a ruling on this.)
Don’t miss this opportunity to add this species to your Life List!
September 27 in Pittsburgh. Be there!
(photo of the Rubber Duck in Hong Kong harbor courtesy of Florentijn Hofman’s Rubber Duck Project. Click on the duck to watch a video of him in Hong Kong)
My daughter enjoys birding with me (in my pathetic attempts at bird identification…give me flowers any day…they at least sit still long enough for you to take a good look at them!) but this sighting is one that she’s really looking forward to! She’s been collecting rubber ducks for years (as my father-in-law used to do) and is eagerly awaiting the arrival of the large ducky… should be no problem spotting this one!