Standing on our seawall along Sarasota Bay, one is almost guaranteed to see brown pelicans, white ibis and various herons and egrets on any day of the year; during the colder months, these common, permanent residents are joined by American white pelicans, common loons and red-breasted mergansers. Now and then, we are also treated to the sight of a roseate spoonbill or two.
Once abundant across the Southeastern U.S., roseate spoonbills were extirpated by plumage hunters during the 1800s. A slow recovery of their population began in the early 1900s but they are still found primarily in South Florida and along the southern Texas Coast. Even here, off the coast of Sarasota, their presence is erratic and they are most often encountered during the warmer months.
Nesting and roosting in colonies, roseate spoonbills may also congregate at favored feeding sites, especially during low tide. There they scour the shallows for marine invertebrates, small fish and some plants. Since returning to Longboat Key almost three weeks ago, I have observed only two of these elusive pink waders.
Once abundant across the Southeastern U.S., roseate spoonbills were extirpated by plumage hunters during the 1800s. A slow recovery of their population began in the early 1900s but they are still found primarily in South Florida and along the southern Texas Coast. Even here, off the coast of Sarasota, their presence is erratic and they are most often encountered during the warmer months.
Nesting and roosting in colonies, roseate spoonbills may also congregate at favored feeding sites, especially during low tide. There they scour the shallows for marine invertebrates, small fish and some plants. Since returning to Longboat Key almost three weeks ago, I have observed only two of these elusive pink waders.
