I have posted before about the wonderful native and migtatory bird population that we have in the area. A couple of days ago, a friend and I went for lunch at the Bayfront Park which is adjacent to Biscayne National Park. When we went in, we’d passed a large flock of ibis as well as a sprinkling of egrets and herons.

When we came back out and passed that same stretch, my friend, who is still a newcomer to the area, made a comment about the “pink ibis”. I hit the brakes. “No,” I said, “ibis are white or brown.” With no one behind me, I went into reverse and there it was – a roseatte spoonbill. Wait, two, no, three, hey, four and one more you could hardly see. Since my friend is a wonderful photographer (www.shortstackphoto.com), she had her camera with her and jumped out as I practically babbled. Of course we were on the opposite side of the road now and she had to wait for the truck pulling the boat on a trailer to pass, then the cars queued up behind it. And naturally, the sound of that many vehicles caused the birds to move a bit further from the road. That was okay though.

I explained my excitement; that the spoonbills normally hung in the Everglades and in the time we had lived here I had only seen a total of two. It was also a little early in the year for them. I always enjoy ibis anyway, but having roseatte spoonbills mixed in with them was a real treat. Yeah, I know, but hey… if you like cool birds, it was a lovely little moment.