Hurricane Jose: Tropical Bird Blown 1,000 Miles To Cape Cod

EASTHAM, MA — A tropical seabird was blown 1,000 miles off course by Hurricane Jose and recently landed on Cape Cod, wildlife officials said. The masked booby was found by a good Samaritan at a Wellfleet beach, according to Wildcare Cape Cod, an Eastham-based nonprofit wildlife rehabilitation center. The bird was found in "grave condition" but it was hanging on Thursday as it recovers, according to Wildcare Cape Cod Executive Director Stephanie Ellis.

"We are hoping for the best, but the reality is that we have a very sick bird on our hands," Ellis said in a statement. (Sign up for free daily newsletters and breaking news alerts from Massachusetts Patch sites.)

Masked boobies, which have a 5-foot wingspan, live on tropical islands and around the Gulf of Mexico. They feed on small fish.

Hurricane Jose battered Cape Cod with 65 mph winds and more than 4 inches of rain earlier this month.

Photos: A masked booby found on Cape Cod after it was blown 1,000 miles off course by Hurricane Jose. (Credit: Wild Care Cape Cod)