Can you believe how odd – and beautiful – this bird is?
The roseate spoonbill is a bird so far beyond the bounds of southwestern Pennsylvania that I guarantee you’ll never see one here.
Roseate spoonbills, named for their rosy feathers and funny beaks, are South American birds that also breed along the U.S. Gulf Coast and at Merritt Island, Florida. Their bills are shaped like a pair of wooden spoons clapped together because they feed on small crustaceans and aquatic bugs, swinging their bills side to side through the water to capture their food.
Steve Gosser photographed this spoonbill at a lagoon where the birds roost in Fort Myers Beach, Florida. According to Steve the spoonbills didn’t spend the day at the lagoon. They were only there in the morning and evening… which just happens to be when the light is great for photography.
Wow!
(photo by Steve Gosser)
expect the unexpected. a roseate spoonbill hung out this year in new jersey at brigantine nwr for a considerable period of time. now brigantine is on the coast, but you never know……
You can see them at the National Aviary =P
When I see them at the Aviary, they always remind me of an old man (the wrinkled face) with a sense of fashion (the bright pink feathers).
I lived in Venice, FL, and we would see this bird at our wastewater treatment plant. I think it was warm water coming out of tanks or something that attracted the bird….plus many others in that particular location.
For some really cool photos of roseate spoonbills, check out Chuck Tague’s blog about them here
http://web.me.com/kingrail/Natureobserver/Blog/Entries/2010/1/16_Entry_1.html
and his photo gallery of them here: http://web.me.com/kingrail/Natureobserver/Viera_Wetlands,_MINWR,_1-15-10.html
This is beautiful!
Can I borrow this image for a painting?
Audrye, I will put you in touch with the photographer, Steve Gosser.