March 20, 2022 - American Flamingo

There is a special bird at St. Marks National Wildlife Refuge in Florida. It’s an American Flamingo, and it was presumably blown into the area by a hurricane in late 2018. Truly wild Flamingos are not normally found in the United States, so this is a highly desired sighting for most birders who visit the refuge. I visited St. Marks twice this winter. During my first visit, the Flamingo was in its preferred location but far from the walking path. This is the best photo I could get that time.

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When I came back on 2/22/2022 (maybe my lucky day) it was much closer to the path. It’s a 1½ mile hike to get to this spot, but well worth the effort. When I arrived, the Flamingo was resting near a Double-crested Cormorant.

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It’s pretty amazing that this bird has stayed at St. Marks for so long. It would be great if a mate would also arrive, but that is very unlikely. Males and females look alike, so the sex of this bird can’t be determined.

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The beautiful pink color of the Flamingo’s feathers comes from the food it is eating. Based on the appearance of this bird, it must be getting the proper food to keep its vibrant color.

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This Flamingo has been nicknamed “Pinky” by some of the local residents. It spent some time preening its feathers while I was observing it.

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It did stretch its wings a few times but didn’t attempt to fly

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The American Flamingo is a tall bird, 46 inches in height. It has a wingspan of 60 inches. It’s a real thrill to see and photograph this bird.

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