An American Flamingo at a Birding Hotspot in Florida’s Panhandle
It was one of those amazing birding moments that birders know well. It is a moment you never forget because not only is it thrilling to see such a bird, but sometimes it is also sign of something greater at work in the natural world: a sign of change and hope and survival.
And the story of the American Flamingo in Florida might be just that.
We saw “Pinky” at St. Mark’s Wildlife Refuge in Florida’s Panhandle. Pinky showed up after Hurricane Michael in 2018, seemingly caught in the winds. While this has happened during other hurricanes, the birds are usually gone after a short period. This one – if it’s the same one –has returned each winter since 2018.
So, after you take hundreds of pictures of one of the only known untagged American Flamingos in the U.S., it’s hard to not be filled with wonder about the journey of this Flamingo and the history of American Flamingos in Florida.
Once quite populous, these beautiful, large pink birds were hunted to extinction in Florida in the 1800s for the plume trade and for meat. They have not bred in the state since that time. Because this, for decades, the American Flamingo was considered to be non-native to Florida. It was believed that while some Flamingos may occasionally stop by Florida from the Bahamas, Mexico, or Cuba, most “wild” Flamingo sightings were thought to be escapees from captive populations from various Florida attractions.
But that line of thinking dramatically shifted when three Flamingos showed up at Florida’s Naval Air Station in Key West in 2015. Despite the rather dangerous habitat and attempts to scare up the birds so they would not get hit it, one of the Flamingos would not leave. So, the air force base called the Miami Zoo and “Conchy,” was rescued and found to be seriously ill with liver damage from drinking polluted water. He was nursed back to health, banded, and prepared to be released to the wild so researchers could finally start tracking flamingos back to their native populations.
That is when the zoo ran into a problem. Florida claimed that American Flamingos were not native and could, therefore, not be released into the state.Eventually, however, after a team of researchers started digging into documentation that proved that Flamingos once lived in Florida in large flocks, they were granted permission.
When Conchy was released, scientists waited for him to return to his breeding grounds in maybe Cuba or the Bahamas or another large flock, but he didn’t leave. He stayed in Florida year-round and was monitored for two years until the tracker stopped working. Conchy’s year-round life in Florida – along with research and observations dating back to John James Audubon - supported that American Flamingos are indeed native to the state and in 2018 Florida updated their status to native.
Seeing Pinky at Lighthouse Pool at St. Mark’s was truly a once in a lifetime experience. And for me, seeing this Flamingo filled me with a sense of hope and inspiration and a belief that nature, when protected and provided with ample habitat, will survive and thrive. I am deeply grateful for the US Fish & Wildlife Service for protecting the incredible lands of the National Wildlife Refuge.
If you go to St. Mark’s National Wildlife Refuge:
Stop by the Visitor’s Center, pick up a map, and talk to the knowledgeable volunteers about recent bird sightings. We saw Pinky at the Lighthouse Pool, along with Blue Winged Teals, Common Mergansers, Scaup, Tri-color Heron, Great-crested Cormorant, and Snowy Egret. There is a lovely 7 mile road from the Visitor’s Center to the lighthouse with many places to stop and hike around bayous and ponds.
Photography:
Pinky was in the middle of Lighthouse Pond, which was quite a distance. I used my Canon R5 with my 100-500 and 1.4x extender and a tripod. Other birds were closer to edges of the pond and waterways but this refuge definitely requires a telephoto lens (at least it did on the day we visited in March).
More about American Flamingos in Florida:
https://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/article/birds-animals-flamingos-florida-native
