Pink in Nature: the Roseate Spoonbill

When your body is shaped like a heart ... you must be a love bird:)

One of my favorite birds in Florida is the Roseate Spoonbill. This time of year, during the breeding season, it is absolutely awesome to watch them! I visit the bird rookery located at the St. Augustine Alligator Farm quite often. Last week, on my last visit, I saw a lot of nest-building taking place. It is such an exciting time in the rookery from February through June. There are other species of birds nesting as well including Wood Storks, Great Egrets, Snowy Egrets, Tricolored Herons, Little Blue Herons, Cattle Egrets and sometimes even birds such as Anhingas.

Spoonie bath time!

Who can resist that beautiful pink color? Sometimes I hear visitors at the alligator farm call them flamingos because of their color … oops. I try to politely correct them because roseate spoonbills are awesome birds and deserve the recognition.

Looks like he is posing for his portrait

They always seem to make the perfect photo subject! … I often take hundreds of photos of them in just an hour or two! Every Saturday, I try to make a #spoonbillsaturday post on Instagram.

This spoonbill is eating ... he moves his beak side to side, back and forth.

I love to get photos of the spoonbills in the water, splashing around taking a bath or eating like in the photo above. It is fascinating to watch! Their beauty amazes me! Just look at that mirror reflection above:)

"Pink is not just a color, it's an attitude!"

The photo above was taken this past week. He was preening himself … something birds do a lot … lol. I love the contrast of colors in this photo, and it really says “Spring!” The weather here in Florida has been seasonably warm (mostly) .. spring has definitely been in the air! And we have the pollen to prove it!

I've heard of wearing your "heart" on your sleeve, but on your back, that's a new one!

Sometimes when Roseate Spoonbills lift their wings just in the right way, they resemble a heart. I like to call this one “Mr. Valentine Spoonie”.

Spoonbill flying overhead, what a sight!

Make sure to always look up when you are in a rookery area, you might just see something spectacular like the photo above. This spoonbill flew overhead while I was at the alligator farm. Thankfully he caught my eye soon enough and I was able to capture the moment. You might also want to look up and watch where you stand for another reason as well … where there are birds, there is bird poop, lol. Yes, I have been pooped on a couple of times at the rookery.

Bathing on the go!

Spoonbills are simply beautiful and simply fun to watch! If you ever visit the St. Augustine, Florida area in the late winter, spring, or early summer, you must visit the St. Augustine Alligator Farm! The action in the bird rookery is just amazing! There are birds everywhere building nests, tending to nests, caring for their babies, flying all over the place, and mating. Its such a sight! I will definitely share more photos in the coming months, so stay tuned and follow along.

Wings up and ready to go!

If you like my photos, follow me on Instagram or Facebook, also make sure to subscribe to my website (just send me an email). You can also purchase some of these photos as well as others in my Shop. This week, I am having a VALENTINE sale, 10% off everything! Thanks for looking at my photos and reading my blog post! Happy Valentine’s!

Until next time, have a great week!

-Kristina