Florida Gulf Coast Creations

Tag: American Flamingo

  • Merry Christmas and Happy New Year

    Merry Christmas and Happy New Year

    As the end of 2023 approaches, it’s time to reflect on the past year. Although I didn’t get out as much as in years past, some of the photo opportunities were amazing. In February we located a bird that I had never seen in the wild. In fact, in 2022 we drove over 3 hours down past Lake Okeechobee to search for the same species but came up empty. However, this year we were successful in finding one over by Orlando.

    Vermillion Flycatcher Perched In Tree In Sun
    Vermilion Flycatcher Perched in a Tree in the Sun

    Fort De Soto Park in St. Petersburg was the real showcase spot. Weather played a huge part during the year. Back in the spring, a couple of cold fronts conveniently pushed through and created a fallout of migrating birds. We saw many tanagers, grosbeaks, buntings, warblers, and orioles. I captured some pictures of birds that I hadn’t seen in years. My favorite moment was coming across a male scarlet tanager who was so exhausted and hungry that he hopped within 10 feet of me sitting in the grass. He was more focused on food than his own safety.

    Scarlet Tanager On Ground Eating Large Bug
    Scarlet Tanager Male on the Ground Eating a Large Bug
    Blue Grosbeak Male Perched On Old Palm Frond
    Blue Grosbeak Male Perched on an Old Palm Frond

    In September, hurricane Idalia accomplished something that no other storm has done for decades. The track of the storm created a corridor for many iconic American Flamingos to flee Cuba and the Yucatan Peninsula of Mexico north to the United States. The event captured news outlets across the country as some of the birds were spotted as far north as Wisconsin. Several showed up along the west coast of Florida and there are still reports of sightings.

    American Flamingo Calling To Others
    American Flamingo Calling to Others

    Unfortunately, the remnants of hurricane Irma in 2022 along with the heat wave and drought during the summer had an impact on several of our favorite bird spots. We lost a great bald eagle nest in Lakewood Ranch and our best place for seeing endangered snail kites near Fort Myers was severely damaged during the hurricane. It appears a large population of apple snails was wiped out, which is the main food source for the kites.

    It looks like 2024 will get off to a good start. Migrating waterfowl have returned to the region and are much more accessible this year because of the lower water levels. Many areas continue to recover from the storms and habitat is improving. We participated in the annual Audubon Christmas Bird Count last week and were surprised to see one of the flamingos that remain in the area. Hopefully that will be a good omen for next year. We’re keeping our eyes on a report of a very rare duck that’s been seen over in Palm Beach County. If he stays around for a few more weeks, I think I see a road trip on the horizon. Stay tuned.

    All the best to everyone. Thanks for keeping up with us during the year. We hope everyone had a Merry Christmas. Have a Happy New Year!!

  • Hurricane Idalia Flamingos

    Hurricane Idalia Flamingos

    Every now and then there is a silver lining to a major hurricane. Despite all the damage that occurred with hurricane Idalia last week, there were some positive things that happened that astonished communities all along the Gulf Coast. For the first time in decades, American flamingos were spotted in several places after the storm. Even though flamingos are often associated with Florida, the reality is that, outside of places of captivity, there are only a few wild flamingos in the Everglades near Miami.

    Idalia made landfall in the Big Bend area of Florida on Wednesday, August 30. The following day, a group of 17 flamingos was spotted between Clearwater and St. Petersburg. As word got out about the initial sighting, more reports started to come in from other areas along the coast down to Fort Myers. Speculation was that the birds were carried from their native areas of Cuba and the Yucatan Peninsula when the storm intensified in the region and quickly headed north. There were even reports of flamingos being rescued due to exhaustion.

    On Friday, we journeyed out to Fort De Soto Park in St. Petersburg in search of these rare birds. Being connected to the birding community helped tremendously. My friend Art Nadelman was receiving emails and text messages with updates. We checked out several areas in the park and talked with other photographers, but it seemed like everyone was striking out. As we started to head back home, a text came in about a sighting nearby. Apparently, a pair had flown into an area we just left. We found one of the two birds a long way from where we were standing and were able to get some photos.

    After hearing that the birds were still being seen in the evening on Friday, we decided to go back to the park the next morning hoping they hadn’t left overnight. It turned out to be a great decision. When we arrived at the park, there was a group feeding in the tidal pools along the beach. But, by Friday night, the flamingos had become one of the top news stories and the park was quickly flooded by photographers and people wanting to see them. It didn’t take long for the masses to get too close to the birds and they flew off. But we got word that they didn’t go too far and were even more accessible. Fortunately, we were able to get great shots.

    Group Of American Flamingos Preening At Edge Of Lagoon
    Group of American Flamingos Preening at the Edge of a Lagoon

    Fort De Soto is a wonderful park. It has miles of beautiful beaches and since its located right at the point where Tampa Bay flows into the Gulf of America, it’s known to birders and photographers alike for its amazing access to so many species of shore birds. One of the most sought after is the reddish egret. I’ve posted stories about these beautiful birds in the past. While my wife Pam was busy shell hunting, I photographed one of the reddish egrets along with a few other birds. And you never know what other critters you may find in the sand and receding tidal pools.

    Reddish Egret Walking Through Tidal Pool
    Reddish Egret Walking through a Small Tidal Pool
    Fiddler Crab Crouched Next To Sea Grass
    Fiddler Crab Crouched Next to a Piece of Sea Grass

    For now, our hope is that some of the displaced flamingos will find our area to their liking and make this their new home. Only time will tell. But as of Monday evening, several were still here. We’re keeping our fingers crossed. I’ve attached a couple of links to recent articles.

    A few more pictures from this journey are featured below. For a larger selection of photos, go to the galleries listed.

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