HUNTLEY MEADOWS, LAST PHOTOS...

until the next time we visit.

Usually this whole area is covered with water.  I have never seen any grass growing here.  I found it interesting that all was left of the water, apart from that seen in the background, was the small stream that split in two directions.  In the photo below you can just make out the two Roseate Spoonbills, one just off-center left and the other further left by the stream.  This is the one I concentrated on, which you can see in a previous post.  There is a flock of Canada geese in this photo also.

Below you can just make out those cute ducks, off center left, with a couple of geese to the right. My previous post about the ducks is here. 

As for the photo below, we didn't go this far today.  We can carry on to reach this boardwalk, when the first one ends and takes us through trees.  We come to a two-story visitor overlook and then the boardwalk is extended for a little further.  These people were on that part of the walk.

This is a Silky dogwood, also called Silky cornel, Kinnikinnik or Red willow.  Its botanical name is Cornus amomum.

In the following collage, the top two photos are Lizard's tail.  Botanical name is Saururus ceruus.  The two photos below are Orange jewelweed.  Botanical name Impatiens capensis.

There were American bullfrogs.  They weren't as noisy as they usually are but you could still hear a 'ribbit' here and there.

This is a male Blue Dasher.  You can read all about him here.

Incoming!

I added my photo (above) because I wanted to share the unexpected visitor. I found it in the enlarged version on my laptop later that day.  Do you see it?  There is something of the marvelous with these unexpected tiny sightings.

The plant with the pink flower is called Joe pyeweed.  I have always been curious about its name and found one explanation.  There was once a Native American medicine man called Joe Pye.  He used concoctions from a wild plant found growing in the nearby woods to cure typhoid fever.  His brew is said to have halted an epidemic that raged in Colonial Massachusetts.  Hence this local plant became forever known as Joe-pye weed.

In the collage below, top left photo are the leaves from a Black willow, next to it is the Joe pyeweed.  Below left is Floating pennywort. I couldn't identify the plant in the bottom right photo, guessing it was a type of ivy, but it's just a guess.

Next you can just about make out the egrets roosting in the trees.  Unfortunately they were too far away for a good look, but I liked the photo anyway.

These are getting towards the end of the marsh as we backtrack to the woods.

When we were here before, the stump sticking up out of the water in the next collage, left top photo, showed the work of a beaver and then had only recently been cut down.  The rest of the tree had been dragged off to make a dam probably.  I was happy to see the stump had sprouted new leaves.  Where there's a will there's a way.  Something of the marvelous in nature, as I have said before.  Top right photo shows a frog just below center.

We are almost back to the path at the beginning of the woods.

As we left the boardwalk we sat on a bench for a few minutes, enjoying our surroundings.  We looked back to see others going in the direction we had just come from.... 

and another who was making her way back to the parking lot.  We were seated as she fast-trotted by us.  Yes, my camera is always at the ready.  Along with everything else, I love to take photos of the dogs I see.  Her expression said, "Can't stop, can't stop.  It's hot, it's hot and I want to curl up when I get home, and go to sleep in a nice cool place."  We had something in common, by that time I was feeling the same way.  When I got home I had a nap in my own nice cool place!

It felt good to be back among the trees, and their cooling shade was welcome.

But, I never miss an opportunity to look at the fauna. Below shows the Common mugwort, botanical name Artemsia vulgaris.

Not sure what this ivy is called.  I just thought it made a pretty picture wrapping itself around the tree.

I was starting to feel the heat and we are always glad for the flask of water that I remembered to put in my backpack.  It seems a longer walk back to the car, a little hotter, a little more tired, but what a day!  We have the memory of seeing the Roseate Spoonbills that brought us here in the first place.  And I will not forget every other part of nature we saw, and that we do see quite regularly on every visit.  A trip to the park is ever perfect.  There is always something different, something new to see.

I wonder how long our Roseate Spoonbills will be here?

Thanks for looking and I hope your day is a great one.

(It's a fun hobby for me to try to identify everything that takes my interest.  I downloaded an app called "PictureThis" several months ago and it is mostly accurate.  It has trouble when my photos aren't the best. I also have a very thick flower and plant book that I enjoy browsing through, and then there is the Internet.   Even with all this help, there are  still times that I can't find an ID.  If you think I have mislabeled anything, please let me know.  I would much rather have the correct identification and am always grateful for expert help.)

ROSEATE SPOONBILLS AT HUNTLEY MEADOWS IN ALEXANDRIA, VIRGINIA

I am very happy that we got to see these extraordinary wading birds.  This is a very unusual sighting and many birders have visited the park.  (Our visit was last Friday, July 23rd, 2021.) 

We arrived just after 9.00 a.m. and walked through the wood that takes us to the boardwalk.  The boardwalk crosses the marsh area.  All we had to do was follow the photographers.  There were those heading out of the park, and I asked one lady if she had seen the Spoonbills.  She had and told me to look for the other photographers.  

The birds were not close but Gregg got great photos and we were very happy with them.  We saw several photographers with longer lenses than we had, and their photos are probably the ones we have been seeing on Instagram.  There was another line of long lenses behind me as I took this photo.

In the United States, the Roseate Spoonbill can be found in southern Florida, coastal Texas and southwestern Louisiana. Their breeding range extends south from Florida through the Greater Antilles to Argentina, Chile and Uruguay. Roseate Spoonbills usually live in marsh-like areas and mangroves, and for a short spell at Huntley Meadows Park in Alexandria, Virginia.  Color us pink and very happy!

I have another post on this bird that I shared last week.  You can click here if you missed it.  It has more information.  I took those photos on a trip to Florida.  Gregg took most of these.

Originally I was told by one of the photographers, that there had been three Spoonbills, but no one had sighted the third for several days.  We only saw two.

Having read that they are very social, we were not surprised to see them looking comfortable in the presence of a small flock of Canada Geese, and a family of ducks.

Its mate was out of view of these photos.

A female lays a clutch of one to five eggs. Both parents share incubation duties, which last about 22 to 24 days. A newly hatched chick has mostly pink skin with a sparse covering of white down.  After one month, the chick will begin to exercise by clambering through the branches or foliage surrounding the nest, and by six weeks it will have developed wing feathers large enough for flight.

They can live up 10 years in the wild. 

Roseate Spoonbills have an interesting gait.  When they walk they swing their head back and forth in a sideways motion.

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• The light colored Roseate Spoonbills are the younger generation and they will darken as they mature.
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Roseate Spoonbills will feed in both fresh and saltwater during the early morning and evening, competing with larger birds such as egrets, herons, and pelicans.  I have seen egrets and herons here but not pelicans.  Who knows what will turn up at the park.  I never thought we would see the Spoonbill.  

They will slowly walk with their beaks dipped into the water slightly open, allowing their bill to easily sift through the mud. Using their sense of touch more than sight, the Spoonbill will scoop up crustaceans, insects, newts, some plants, and more. Similar to flamingos, the canthaxanthin and astaxanthin in the Spoonbill diet causes their pink coloration!

We watched from a distance as a waddling march of young mallards made their way across the marsh.  They were very cute and I will have more photos of these ducks in another post.

The Spoonbill can be seen nearest the water with the Canada Geese resting nearby.

I have a few more photos and will share them soon.   For the most part this is all for now on the Roseate Spoonbill.  I am not sure how long they will be here but my goodness, I am so happy we were able to see them.  

If you would like to see great photos, you can find those if you click on this link.  It is an article by Alexandria Living Magazine.   If the link doesn't work for you, you can use the actual address following: 

https://alexandrialivingmagazine.com/lifestyle/roseate-spoonbill-lands-at-huntley-meadows/

In the article it says that a recent tropical storm in the southeast may have sent many birds flying for safer locales.

Thanks for looking and I hope the rest of your week is a great one.

ROSEATE SPOONBILL

 We have learned that there are Roseate Spoonbills visiting Huntley Meadows, one of our favorite places we visit during the year.  There have been several photos local photographers have taken of them and shared on our local website.  I am not sure whether we will be able to get out there before they move on, and keeping fingers crossed!  In all the years we have been going to Huntley Meadows, this is the only time we have heard of them visiting.

Must be positive about it, however.  In the meantime...

I am resharing these shots of one we saw years ago in Florida.  You can read all about him at this link.  Such an extraordinary bird!

Did you know...

A group of spoonbills is a called a bowl.  Well, look over there, a bowl of spoonbills.  (I hope I see that bowl again one day.)

Just like Flamingos, Roseate Spoonbills get their pink color from their food.  They feed on crustaceans who in turn have fed on algae.

In parts of their range, especially in Florida, Roseate Spoonbills are sometimes confused with that large pink wading bird, the Flamingo!

There are six species of Spoonbill in the world; the Roseate Spoonbill is the only one with pink plumage.

The Roseate Spoonbill is also the only spoonbill species found in the Americas.

The beaks of chick Spoonbill are straight; the spoon-shape grows as the chick develops.

Spoonbills use their specialized bills to feed.  They sweep their open bills through the water, and when a prey item like a fish or insect comes between the mandibles, the bill snaps shut.

The oldest wild Roseate Spoonbill was discovered in the Florida Keys in 2006.  The bird had been banded in 1990, and was found to be 16 years old.  The previous known longevity record for the species was seven years.

Roseate Spoonbills are highly social.  They feed with each other and with other wading birds.  They also nest in colonies and fly in flocks.

The scientific name of a Roseate Spoonbill is Platalea ajaja, and is also known as Ajaia ajaja.  It is from the family Threskiornithidae, the family of spoonbills and ibises.

Roseate Spoonbills generally grow to be 23.6 to 31.5 inches (60 to 80 centimeters) in height, and have a wingspan of 43 to 51 inches (110 to 130 centimeters).

The plumage color of Roseate Spoonbills is a combination of pinks, whites and reds, and they often have some pale green, grey and orange features.

Roseate Spoonbills are wading birds and as such their diet consists primarily of aquatic insects, small fish and shrimp.

Something of the prehistoric when looking at these feet don't you think?  As mentioned above, Spoonbill are closely related to ibises whose fossil records are dated back 60 million years.  It is not known exactly when Spoonbills diverged from the ibises, since the fossil record is spotty.

A Spoonbill’s nostrils are located at the top of the bill, making it possible for the bird to breathe while the bill is under water.