17 September 2008

Wild Flamingo on Pensacola Beach



I'm more of a sea turtle girl than a bird expert, but I was still really excited to see a Flamingo at Opal Beach this morning! I was just searching for Piping Plovers in Gulf Islands National Seashore when I came across this unmistakable bird near the pavilions.



Our local bird experts, Bob and Lucy Duncan, tell me this bird is one of three that have been sighted in Mississippi and Destin since the recent spate of tropical activity. The Destin link has video of the recent post-Gustav sighting.



Apparently, experts can tell different stocks apart by examining feathers near their face, and other distinguishing marks. Isn't that cool? They think this one, and the two that were hanging out in Mississippi, are from the flock in Inagua, Bahamas. According to this article, the birds seem to have left Inagua in advance of Hurricane Hanna on September 1st.

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

That is cool - never managed to see a wild one! Gorgeous images!
Thank you for sharing!
Cheers, Klaus

Anonymous said...

My favoirite bird and my favorite beach all in one! What more could a person ask. :-) Loved it, thank you for sharing this.

Anonymous said...

Holy cow! Cool! Nice pics too :-)

Barrier Island Girl said...

How fabulous! I'm so glad you captured this amazing sight for everyone to see.

Anonymous said...

If it wasn't threatening T-storms this weekend, I'd be out camping to see this beaut! Such a striking bird.

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