I saw one of my favorite birds, the
roseate spoonbill, in two locations on my January trip to Florida. The best view was a spoonbill at Merritt Island NWR. I saw it feeding on some mud flats and was able to get quite close and get it walking along in the mud.
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| I can't get enough of this bird. Crazy red legs, scarlet wingpatch, yellow blotch on the wing and on the head. |
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| A closer view. It looks like a space alien wearing a plastic cap. |
A mile or two distant I saw a spoonbill in a canal among some other birds, including a great egret and a great blue heron. I got some pictures of it flying which I love.
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| Looks like an odd pink angel. |
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| Head stooped forward, legs dangling, it looks like an awkward old man. |
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| The shades of red, pink and orange are incredible. |
Finally, I saw a spoonbill at Circle B Bar Reserve in Lakeland. This spoonbill was not as colorful, evidencing that it was either a younger bird or had a less rich diet,or both.
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| Pretty tame when compared to the spoonbills above. |
It always surprises me to see such brilliant colors on birds in the U.S. If you'd shown me this picture and asked me where I thought it was, I wouldn't have said the U.S. Why is that?
ReplyDeleteI agree. The spoonbill is as colorful and goofy looking as any bird we've ever seen.
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