Elusive Flamingo At Bunche Beach

In early September 2011 I was astounded to hear from workmate Mike Peters that he had seen an American Flamingo in the area.

The White Ibis above was photographed at Bunche Beach Preserve in October 2011.

Mike has been observing at least a pair of the species while fishing the waters in the vicinity of Ding Darling National Wildlife Refuge as has been reported here.

Preceding my days off from work this week, Gayle Sheets, webmaster of BirdPatrol.org and Media Coordinator for Lee County's Bird Patrol, was kind enough to forward me an image of the flamingo taken near Bunche Beach Preserve.

The Peregrine Falcon above was photographed at Bunche Beach Preserve in October 2011.

With a chance of observing the species from land, and at one of my favorite wildlife venues, I made three visits to the Preserve with hopes of making my first observation of the rarely seen bird.

My first visit to Bunche was in the late afternoon upon reading Gayle's email.

The Black Skimmer above was photographed at Bunche Beach Preserve in October 2011.

The tide I thought was favorably low for observation of the flamingo, but would be told the following morning by a fellow visitor to the Preserve that the flamingo would more likely be seen in deeper water based on its preferred foraging behavior.

My visit to Bunche on the second day was a morning trip which allowed for observation of the greatest numbers of Tricolored Heron I'd yet seen with upwards of forty of them either in the water or in flight.

The Snowy Egret above was photographed at Bunche Beach Preserve in October 2011.

I would learn the lesson this particular morning not to allow a camera battery to fail in use as I lost a series of images of Great Blue Heron giving a stunning chase of a juvenile in a territorial dispute.

A moment later I also had a very close flyby of a juvenile Little Blue Heron.

The Little Blue Heron juvenile above was photographed at Bunche Beach Preserve in October 2011.

It was a treat to finally meet Gayle as she visited the Preserve this day and noted how excited she was to walk in the bay as she hadn't before.

Also visiting the Preserve to partake in the remarkable birdwatching opportunities were Joanne and Mickey with the Caloosa Bird Club and Ruth affiliated with the Bird Patrol.

The Great Blue Heron with Tricolored Heron above was photographed at Bunche Beach Preserve in October 2011.

My third visit to Bunche Beach Preserve this week was delayed by a couple of hours with a need to replace the car battery.

My arrival to the beach this last day offered a view of a photographer in the water whom I had seen when leaving the day before.

The Tricolored Heron above was photographed at Bunche Beach Preserve in October 2011.

I would learn that this was pbase contributor and Royal Canadian Mounted Police Constable, Robert Doiron from New Brunswick.

Robert told be that he has a particular interest in shorebirds with there no better place I know of to observe them than where he was.

Robert Doiron above was photographed at Bunche Beach Preserve in October 2011.

The flamingo remained elusive while there was plenty of other action to keep a wildlife enthusiast entertained.

One didn't even need to get in the water as the rising tides brought the birds closer and closer to shore.

The Little Blue Heron above was photographed at Bunche Beach Preserve in October 2011.

The flamingo had been sighted at Bunche Beach near the Sanibel toll plaza this past week and reported in a news story of the event.

Gayle was mentioned in the story noting that nine of the species were observed flying north over Barefoot Beach in Bonita Springs to the south.

The Marbled Godwit above was photographed at Bunche Beach Preserve in October 2011.

Naturalist Vince McGrath was noted as saying that he believed the bird seen at Bunche was likely a juvenile as it lacked deep pink coloration in its feathers which can similarly be noted with juvenile Roseate Spoonbills.

He also added that the flamingos may be escapees from tourist attractions or zoos as the bird observed near the Sanibel Causeway was tolerant of its close approach.

The American Oystercatcher above was photographed at Bunche Beach Preserve in October 2011.

Robert made the point of telling me how tame the birds are that he's observed here while those he sees in Canada will take flight as soon as they see him from a great distance in many cases.

Imagine the scene described by Mike 20 years ago when he observed about a hundred of the flamingos together in these San Carlos Bay waters.

The Wood Stork above was photographed at Bunche Beach Preserve in October 2011.

I'm very optimistic that the flamingos will choose to stay in the area through the winter months.