Pandemic Diaries Year 2 Week #6 through #8

 22 April 2021 to 5 May 2021

The end of April and beginning of May was rather consumed with sorting our stuff, repacking, and planning our trip back northward.  Boring stuff but essential.  However, absolutely not worth blogging about, so I haven't written in a while.  Because, obviously, I was busy with all that sorting and packing, and then cleaning our adorable little winter house before we vacated it.

 

But I had some wonderful bird encounters that are worth noting.  I know, I sound like a rabid birder these days.  I'm not, really.  It's just that this location was so wonderful for bird watching, and there wasn't a whole lot else going on during our winter in St. Augustine.  

 

Our dock and creek seem to have some resident birds, including several large white egrets, a young and very blue great blue heron, and an older (and greyer) great blue heron.  I've seen the same birds during several afternoons at the dock, and they've become less reticent to walk around when I'm down there.

 

Often, I hear some kind of heron-like bird, with that distinctive croaking squawk, and then replying cries echoing across the marsh.  But I never manage to see what bird makes this cry.  I finally met it!  This is a bittern, a kind of heron.  (In my mind, I called it a little brown heron to remember what I needed to research.  Herons are great that way - they're mostly named by size and color!  SO easy!)  Anyway, the little brown heron really is a bitten, and they live among the marsh grasses.  Periodically they dart down to the water's edge and splash around in the water, which is when I saw this bittern washing in the creek, having a great time.  It was fascinating to watch.

 

After all the ducking and splashing, the bittern slunk back into the grasses, where it spread and fluffed its feathers, preening in a little sunny patch.  So the bittern thought it was hidden, but it actually was right near the walkway.  Really pretty chestnut colored feathers!

 

I was glad to finally see what had been making all that noise!

 

There also was a wood stork one day, standing by the run-off collection pond on our road.  Huge white stork with black edges, standing silently, ignoring the small heron (maybe a green heron?) sneaking past on the edge of the pond.

 

 

And then, suddenly we started seeing roseate spoonbills nearby!  On another afternoon, I could see a few pink birds on the far side of the island right in front of our dock.  I kept mentally telling the birds to head a little south and then come up around the creek so we could see them from our dock.  And eventually they appeared!!!  SO gorgeous!!!!  I could see them at the end of the curve, and one spoonbill started walking toward the dock, getting closer and close!  Absolutely thrilling!!!

In the photos, you can see how their bill is flat and somewhat spoon-shaped, and sort of a greenish grey color.  The birds slightly open their bill, stick their face in the water, and slowly walk along, swinging their heads from side to side in an arc.  They seem to either filter out whatever they catch, or stir up the sediment and then catch the shrimp that way.  But the shrimp which makes up most of their diet is also what gives the spoonbills their beautiful pink color.  You can see how the heads and necks are white, but the back, wings, and tail are a wonderful rosy pink.  That pink, and the red splotch, come from the shrimp coloring.  Flamingos are pink for the same reason, although they're a very different kind of more coral pink.

Anyway, I watched the spoonbills for about an hour.  One in particular, the spoonbill who came past the dock, paraded back and forth in front of our dock, looking like some long-legged model in pink strutting up and down the runway!  Seriously, these birds have attitude!!!  They really are wonderful birds, and didn't seem to mind being photographed.  I went back a few days later, and another spoonbill came by.  There were several flying overhead as I walked home, and we even saw a matched pair flying around when we went to have brunch with visiting cousins.  I guess late April is a great time to view roseate spoonbills around St. Augustine and Anastasia Island!

Okay, I'll add in lots of photos of these amazing birds - how can you not love that there really is something in the world as incredible as rosy pink birds????  So yes, once again, lots of photos!

And in a day or two (or three), I'll catch up with our drive north, and where we are right now.  Or then.  Or something like that.