Pink!!

I love roseate spoonbills and seeing one still feels like such a thrill.  I mean, who wouldn't love a big pink bird with an odd shaped bill and a bald head?  I saw my first-ever spoonie two years ago on  a trip to FL and I am no less excited today when I see one.

I chose this photo today, not because it is the best, but because it shows its beautiful pink plumage better than any other shot today - and you can also see the darker pink shoulder bars that identify this as an adult spoonbill.  They don't get this darker plumage until they are about 2 years of age and the first year birds are an overall lighter shade of pink.  

I watched this spoonbill fish for at least a half-hour.  It's fascinating to watch them swish their very sensitive bills back and forth through the water, snapping shut when a tasty morsel finds it's way into the beak.  It was so quiet that I could actually hear its bill clicking shut as it fished.  Definitely qualifying for a Little Moment!  

I posted five other shots of the spoonie, including some shots of it fishing with 1) a white ibis, and 2) a great egret.  And I also got a shot of a cormorant doing a gular flutter which is pretty cool.  They do this to regulate their temperatures when it is warm and it involves them literally fluttering the bit of skin in their neck while holding their beak open.  All six shots, starting HERE

Hubs is off to Alabama tomorrow bright and early.  And while he is embarking on his 11-hour drive, I'll be heading to the Tampa Zoo with CreativeCarol and her grand-daugher, Moira!  Should be great fun and I am looking forward to it.  

Happy Sunday, people.

Debbi