Roseate Spoonbills at Orlando Wetlands

Feb 16

After a three-week hiatus from birding in order to get fully moved into my new living situation, I was really happy to go birding at the Orlando Wetlands park. It’s a two hour drive from where I live in Tampa to Orlando Wetlands, so I left at 5 am to arrive at sunrise at 7 am. Weather was gray and overcast, but there was strong potential for amazing light. I parked at the welcome center where I was surprised to find another Grech camper van, a Terreno. I spoke briefly with the van’s owners, a couple who are also wildlife photographers. It was nice to meet some kindred spirits.

I was happy to see there were not that many people on the boardwalk for a Saturday morning. I suppose the possibility of rain kept people at home. Regardless, the birding was spectacular. Of note, I counted at least 15 Roseate Spoonbills in the trees close to the boardwalk and looking absolutely beautiful in their breeding plumage. A Roseate Spoonbill’s breeding plumage has an overall brighter color, the carmine streaks on the wings become more vibrant, the legs become a deeper red, the buff colored tail becomes brighter and orangier, and orange color appears on the face around the eyes.

**Roseate Spoonbill.** Preening by nibbling on its feathers. Nikon Z8 with monopod-mounted Nikkor Z 800mm F/6.3 VR S lens at f/6.3, 1/1000 sec, ISO 1400.

**Roseate Spoonbills.** A pair of Roseate Spoonbills standing in their nest. Nikon Z8 with monopod-mounted Nikkor Z 800mm F/6.3 VR S lens at f/8, 1/1250 sec, ISO 7200.

Preening wasn’t limited to tree snags though. Spoonbills will often dip their bill into water, then while lifting their heads, vigorously shake their bills side to side slinging water everywhere. They’ll preen for a few seconds, then repeat. One day I would like to get a head-on shot with water flying in both directions.

**Roseate Spoonbill.** Preening behavior where the bird takes a little water in its bill, then shakes its head rapidly in a “no” motion. Nikon Z8 with monopod-mounted Nikkor Z 800mm F/6.3 VR S lens at f/6.3, 1/1250 sec, ISO 3600.

Because it’s nesting season here in Florida, birds are in steep competition with each other for sticks. This spoonbill found a nice stick that another spoonbill flew by and tried to take. At established rookeries, birds will often rob other bird’s nests for sticks and its not uncommon for fights to break out.

**Roseate Spoonbill with nesting material.** Nikon Z8 with monopod-mounted Nikkor Z 800mm F/6.3 VR S lens at f/6.3, 1/1000 sec, ISO 2800.

When photographing Roseate Spoonbills, one thing to be careful of is overexposing the bird’s bright spots. This includes the top of the head and the bird’s back. For most of these shots I had to dial in a -1/3 to -2/3 stops exposure to prevent blowing out the highlights in these areas. I had perfect exposures for each of these shots, and with a little highlight reduction in Lightroom was able to fully recover the feather detail.

**Roseate Spoonbill.** This bird is gathering nesting material. Nikon Z8 with monopod-mounted Nikkor Z 800mm F/6.3 VR S lens at f/6.3, 1/1600 sec, ISO 5000.

As the morning wore on, a few short rain showers got us a little wet. This chased off some of the photographers, but don’t let that be you. Weather, even rain, can bring new photographic opportunities and make your photographs stand out from the crowd (just don’t be that guy with an umbrella who was oblivious to the fact that he was frightening the birds by constantly opening and closing it). It’s ok to get a little wet - this is Florida after all. Just be sure your camera and lenses are water-sealed or you have a way to keep them dry.

**Roseate Spoonbill**. With eyes closed, this Roseate Spoonbill seems completely at peace standing atop a palm in the light rain. Nikon Z8 with monopod-mounted Nikkor Z 800mm F/6.3 VR S lens at f/6.3, 1/2500 sec, ISO 5000.

**Roseate Spoonbill (juvenile).** A juvenile Roseate Spoonbill, characterized by its light pink feathers and feathers on his head, standing on a palm snag in the morning rain. Nikon Z8 with monopod-mounted Nikkor Z 800mm F/6.3 VR S lens at f/6.3, 1/1250 sec, ISO 2200.

“Sky Gazing” is a behavior unique to Roseate Spoonbills; no other spoonbills species does this. It’s usually seen in groups, but occasionally you can spot an immature bird doing it. The bird will extend its neck fully and point its bill skyward for a few seconds. They may repeat it several times, so if you miss the first stretch you can recompose your shot and get a second or third chance. Typically you see this in a group of spoonbills, and often performed in reaction to another spoonbill flying overhead. The function of this movement is unclear, but in my experience it usually precedes the bird taking flight. This behavior is more prevalent among adults just before pair formation than after pairs have formed. Also occurs in immatures and adults outside of breeding season.

**Roseate Spoonbill (juvenile).** An immature bird exhibits “Sky Gazing” behavior. Nikon Z8 with monopod-mounted Nikkor Z 800mm F/6.3 VR S lens at f/6.3, 1/1250 sec, ISO 1400.

If you are looking for Roseate Spoonbills, Orlando Wetlands is a must-visit site - particularly in February and March where birds are looking great in their breeding plumage. They are also accustomed to the people on the boardwalk, so you can be fairly close without disturbing them. I shot with an 800mm lens, and at times it was too much length. A 600mm lens would be great, but a zoom in the range of 200 - 600mm would probably be perfect.