I think flamingos are stunning. Of course they’re ungainly, but their color more than makes up for that.
Once in a while I catch a glimpse of a Spoonbill, a flamingo –
pink native bird related to the ibis, but with that unmistakable bill like a spatula
on the end. I’ve never seen more than two or three at a time, usually at a great
distance flying overhead or wading out in the bay.
When I first see them I get thrown off by their color and I automatically think “Flamingo!” although I know perfectly well flamingos live nowhere near here.
Many years ago I participated in an art show in the Pittsburgh Arboretum. Animal loving artists were set up in every room of the facility, and I was in a large indoor swamp with a small flock of flamingos just feet from my booth. I watched them dip their upside-down bills into the water fishing for algae and the other tidbits they consume to make their feathers pink.
It was an interesting weekend. The flamingos stayed in their wading pool, but some of the more inquisitive birds waddled or strutted right into my booth.
Have you ever been to the Pittsburgh Arboretum? I’d love to hear what some of my readers think of this unique facility.