Late this afternoon, while working near a flooded retention area, I was joined by a few Wood Storks and their tag-a-long partner, the uncommon Rosette Spoonbill. Last time I saw a Rosette Spoonbill was right by the County Dump, a great place for bird watching. If you can stand the smell of the dump combined with the pungent dry stale smell of vultures then you have a pretty good chance of seeing more varieties of birds than you would on any nature walk. Ideally you park your car and just watch, a word of caution, run your air conditioner on interior air exchange or you will truly experience a day at the dump.
I often take a “long cut” past the dump. On any given day I can see, Osprey, Hawks, Ibis, Cattle Egret, Bald Eagles, and an occasional Snail Kite. You have to look past the myriad of vultures and seagulls to find the other species but that adds to the adventure.
The Smithsonian Book of Birds, Lords of the Air, references the Rosette Spoonbill as an example of the link between Dinosaurs of the Jurassic Age to wading birds of today, citing the similarity in wing structure. Many biologist state that the Spoonbill is a good indicator as to the wellness of our environment. With that said, seeing 2 Rosettes in the last 10 months verses 0 in 12 years, we just may be getting it right.
A Rosette Spoonbill gets its rosette color by flying thru the sunset (maybe, do not really know, but my 3 year old agrees).
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