Yesterday, Tampa Bay Times columnist Stephanie Hayes tracked down visual evidence that a flamboyance of flamingos arrived in the area with the storm:
Flamingos have a fraught relationship with Florida. They were ubiquitous in the state until hunted almost to extinction more than 100 years ago, mostly for the purpose of obtaining their vivid feathers to decorate ladies’ hats. After that, flamingos were rarely spotted in the state outside of theme parks and remote areas of Florida Bay between the tip of the Everglades and the Keys.
That said, flamingo visitations concurrent with tropical storms are not unheard of around here. The article mentions a lone flamingo in the Panhandle that is thought to have arrived there with Hurricane Michael in 2018. It has been regularly spotted since then at St. Mark’s National Wildlife Refuge.
And sometimes, if you’re in the right place at the right time, you might see a flamingo unexpectedly. Back in the mid-aughties, I saw one at sunrise after a sleepless night boat camping with my family on a tiny island in Tampa Bay that locals call Beer Can Island.
I’m too paranoid to sleep well during camping trips, so I’d been up all night tending a small campfire on the beach, drinking coffee and watching the distant tankers and tugboats pass by on their way into or out of the port terminals. I spotted the bird in the first rays of dawn. I disbelieved my eyes at first, but the unmistakable silhouette convinced me that I was really looking at a flamingo.
I wasn’t close enough to tell if it was a banded theme park escapee or a wild bird. It was about 50 yards away, and I didn’t dare go closer because our dog (good old Bart! — our first boxer!) was asleep at my feet. I feared if I moved, Bart would wake up and scare the bird away. So I sat still and watched the flamingo grow impossibly pinker in the strengthening sunlight that burned away the morning mist.
After a while, the flamingo stretched out its astonishingly wide pink and black-edged wings and flew off west, toward the Gulf. I got out of my camp chair and stretched, watching it go. Bart and I wandered over to inspect the spit where the flamingo had stood in the mist, like a vision, just minutes before.
There was a single pink feather on the sand. I picked it up and used it to decorate my bedraggled sun hat.
Open thread!
Jim, Foolish Literalist
that’s some nice writing
I never thought much about native flamingos, but I’m surprised they haven’t come back
SiubhanDuinne
I love that story, BC!
And JFL is correct, that’s some fine writing. I hope to hell you’re working on your memoirs, because I want to read them before I’m much older.
OzarkHillbilly
Nice story, Betty.
J. Arthur Crank (fka Jerzy Russian)
Nice story.
Asleep on the job (of being a watchdog). I can relate to that!
japa21
That is a perfect sentence, impossible to improve upon. For all your special witticisms for which you are rightly praised, you also have a way with prose that is positively poetic.
cope
My wife is an inveterate collector of feathers, the more exotic, the better. When we used to spend time on Sanibel, she would ask me to run toward any particular bird or groups of birds from which she wished to have a feather or two to scare them into the air and look for shed plumage.
Of course she was (mostly) joking and I never did such a thing but we kept our eyes peeled whenever we were wandering around, looking for feathers. I seem to recall scoring a couple of small, downy spoonbill bits a couple of times.
TaMara
Beautiful story…
Although I’m going to be bitchy all day about the hunted to extinction part.
unctuous
@OzarkHillbilly: And the cycle begins again.
Thor Heyerdahl
A beautiful post Betty. Your storytelling gift is always appreciated.
Josie
Lovely. I was there with you. Thanks for the image.
gvg
I remember when I saw a spoonbill feeding in a ditch in Orlando one day with massive amounts of traffic going by. Fairly near where Universal is now but that wasn’t built then. It was office parks and hotels. That day I saw 4 rare birds including a blue beaked duck I have never identified, just acting urban and chill. I have seen spoonbills a few times since but very rarely. I actually called sea world to see if they were missing any but they said it was likely a wild bird and that they were around.
Both of them need wetlands to feed in and we tend to fill in to build and also don’t hang out there to look. Mosquitos are not my favorites. Screened porches are some of the best things about Florida.
smith
Many years ago, I was lucky enough to visit Lake Nakuru in Kenya when it was home to many thousands of flamingos. The bubbling sea of pink across the surface of the lake is hard to describe but easy to remember. Looking it up just now, I am saddened to see that the Lake Nakuru flamingos are now gone, due to changes in water level that extinguished the algae they feed on.
Reading Betty’s story, my first thought was, why not see if the flamingos could be reestablished in FL? It certainly would attract the tourists. However, it’s possible that the environmental conditions there have changed so much, the birds might not be able to survive.
dlwchico
I had no idea flamingoes were rare like that. I figured they were all over Florida.
The Miami Vice intro lied to me all those years ago!
Amalthea1
I take the Selmon Expressway every day to work, usually driving on the reversible express lanes. Twice, I’ve seen a flamingo flying overhead. The first time, it took me forever to figure out what kind of bird it was because of the color. It wasn’t until our paths crossed that I realized it was a wild (?) flamingo and I screamed aloud in my car, It’s a fucking flamingo!! A few months later, same road, same time of day, maybe the same flamingo. Busch Gardens isn’t too far away, so it may have been an escapee, who knows. I just said a quiet thank you for being blessed with the sight of one flying free.
zhena gogolia
@japa21: Yeah, both Betty and John Cole are among my favorite contemporary writers. I don’t find anything like this in people’s published books.
zhena gogolia
@TaMara: Don’t watch the movie Wind across the Everglades (although do, it’s really good, but it’s about egrets).
Scout211
Since the SCOTUS ruling in Sackett v EPA ended most federal wetland protections, it’s up to the states and local governments to protect wetlands. The current SCOTUS is working hard to limit the power of the federal government.
Added:
A tale of two different coastal states:
In Florida, Manatee County Commissioners move a step closer to ending wetland protections to the dismay of many residents
In California, Supreme Court Ends Protection for Most Wetlands In The U.S.—But Not In California
cain
We really are a menace of a species. Since the industrial revolution – we’ve turned into a cancerous contagion that simultaneous preys on other species and ourselves.
ETA
I wonder what they found there that they need to remove protections?
WereBear
@zhena gogolia: It does have Peter Falk. I always find that a plus.
WereBear
@cain: They want to fill in the Everglades, of course.
lowtechcyclist
@WereBear:
Wrong part of the state, but I’m sure they want to give developers carte blanche to fill in the wetlands in their county and build more houses, strip malls, office parks, etc.
Scout211
Ha ha, I am assuming that is snark, but the multiple opinion pieces following this ruling containing the phrase “property rights” is the tell. Wildlife and clean water be damned. ☹️
Old Man Shadow
They are the advanced scouts. They’re seeing if the storm has washed away all of the horrible humans and the State is safe to be reclaimed for flamingo-kind yet.
cain
@WereBear: lol – while climate change is happening? Someone is going to lose a lot of money. I reckon those wetlands are going to get even more wet or they are going to get very dry depending.
Perhaps, the residents shouldn’t vote for a right wing govt if they are unhappy with these decisions. But I’m sure they think liberals would be worse.
UncleEbeneezer
Speaking of pink flamboyance…joining all the incels, it looks like Russia is also feeling
emasculateddick-hurt by Barbie:I mean of course Putin is going to object to a movie that criticizes Patriarchy and celebrates women/girls…
Winter Wren
@gvg: If you want to see spoonbills, consider visiting the Orlando Wetlands park in the spring – they have a nesting colony there and you can get up close from a boardwalk (Orlando Wetlands is an amazing place for birds and Florida wildlife generally). Also, the Alligator Farm in St. Augustine is another reliable place.
cain
@Scout211: Given the general problems with hurricanes and what not and insurance collapsing – I’m not sure that there are going to be much buyers. Those developers are going to lose a shit ton of money. Fuck em.
BruceFromOhio
What a great story! Thank you for sharing, Betty.
dr. luba
I must add that my first sighting of a spoonbill in Florida was in a strip mall parking lot…….
BruceFromOhio
@cain:
Money. Somewhere in the tale of destruction will be money.
catclub
@cope:
I thought I found a great big eagle feather. On further thought…
wild turkey feather. Not exactly exotic.
JPL
@cain: Congress should pass a law preventing federal funds being used on previous wetland areas. You know mother nature isn’t going to be happy.
JPL
What a beautiful story. Thank you for sharing it with us.
Brachiator
Betty Cracker.
Nice story.
I like that you got a feather.
glc
UK: Truss retrospective
WereBear
What a story! It’s often when nature opens up to us that we appreciate it.
Geminid
@Winter Wren: There’s an alligator farm across the San Luis Valley from Alamosa, Colorado. Back in the 1980s someone tried to set up an aquaculture project in some warm springs. The fish-farming did not work out, but alligators thrived there so now it’s a gator zoo.
Ed. Alamosa is a nice place to visit. It’s on the Rio Grande River and you can walk out of downtown into a large riverside park. It’s a good walking town in general. Great Sand Dunes National Park is 20 miles to the northeast and there is a big wildlife refuge mext to it. There are some smaller refuges closer to Alamosa, and the town hosts a Crane Festival every Spring.
Scout211
@cain: But this ruling affects wetlands nationwide, not just coastal areas.
The Sacketts live in Idaho and wanted to build a home on their property but the EPA barred them from doing so. So this ruling has been lauded as protecting the rights of private property owners.
cope
@catclub: Hey, a big pretty feather is still a big pretty feather. I know we brought many a seagull feather home.
As for eagle feathers, I don’t know about other species but my wife did learn that possession of a bald eagle feather is a federal crime unless you have special dispensation as an indigenous citizen.
kindness
Are flamingos still hunted in Florida?
trollhattan
@Jim, Foolish Literalist: Knowing what we know about Florida, would you come back?
Jim Appleton
@smith:
Anti-woke won’t approve, too pink.
trollhattan
@Scout211: Yes, it was bullshit and impacts Clean Water Act enforcement negatively across the land.
trollhattan
@Jim Appleton:
“Traveling Trans Birds Trashing Traditions, Tallahassee Terrified.”
Roger Moore
@catclub:
And good luck for you. With the exception of feathers used for Native American religious and cultural practices, it’s illegal to be in possession of eagle feathers, even if you just found them lying around.
Geminid
@kindness: If they are hunted, it would be illegally. There is a federal law protecting migratory waterfowl that was passed over a century ago, I think during Teddy Roosevelt’s administration.
Salty Sam .
I always enjoy your writing Betty, but this story was exceptionally well crafted. Thanks.
Re: birds and storms- Hurricane Harvey (2017) made landfall just 5 miles north of the marina where we lived on our boat. We had skedaddled to Austin to ride it out at our kids home. Two things struck us on our return.
One was that all the trees had been stripped of their leaves- nothing but bare twigs showed.
The other was, all the seagulls had been blown away. There were two bait shops in our marina, so gulls (aka “Sky Rats”) were plentiful before the storm. Afterwards, it was eerie to not hear them squawking and fighting over scraps.
Eventually the gulls repopulated. Someone from Parks & Wildlife determined (by DNA analysis) that the new gulls came from a community about 50 miles away.
Betty Cracker
Y’all are very kind — thank you! :)
@kindness: Not on my watch! More seriously, no — it’s illegal to hunt and/or eat flamingos. From what I’ve read, they are making a modest comeback in Florida, mostly in the southern part of the state, but the linked article says climate change may draw them farther north.
From my own observations, I think lots of South Florida birds are showing up farther north these days. We see Snail Kites along our river frequently now, and I never used to see them up here as a kid. Roseate Spoonbills are all over the place here now, and it used to be rare to see one north of Tampa.
Old Man Shadow
@UncleEbeneezer: to preserve and strengthen traditional Russian spiritual and moral values,”
How utterly fragile Russian men must be to be threatened by a movie.
trollhattan
@catclub: My kid’s apartment in the East Bay foothills is intermittently terrorized by turkeys, which is kind of hilarious WRT getting into the car or taking out the trash. Lots of feathers!
The patio deer are cuter TBH. We visited a couple weekends ago and surprised a fawn by the front door.
trollhattan
@Old Man Shadow: An absurdly large list of nations have banned “Barbie.”
We live in weird times.
TaMara
@zhena gogolia: I live in Bison country, I spend a lot of my days pissed about stuff like that, so I’ll check it out. 😉 What’s one more outrage, more or less?
Old Man Shadow
@trollhattan: It’s odd.
I believe that if there is a god or gods or that if an idea is generally beneficial to humanity, then it can stand on its own and doesn’t need protecting.
It’s only if a god or idea is shitty and harmful that it needs protection under the threat of violence from State actors.
prostratedragon
Sometimes, life is a poem …
eclare
Beautiful story. I felt like I was there with you, drinking coffee.
jonas
@TaMara: I forget where I came across it, but there was recently an interesting article (book excerpt?) on the19th-century hatfeather hunting industry. It actually drove a lot of the development of FL and the Gulf Coast in the later part of the century and, as BC notes, drove the flamingo and several other species of highly sought-after birds, like the snowy egret, to brink of extinction. You think after the demise of the passenger pigeon, people would have stopped to think for a moment, but apparently not.
catclub
CNN has an article about whether Trump is still paying bills for his co-conspirators.
Not sure the “Keep the Conspiracy ALIVE Fund” is the right approach. But I am not a lawyer.
Roger Moore
@trollhattan:
There is definitely worse wildlife to encounter. The city next to mine (Sierra Madre) reportedly has the worst bear problem in California. They have moved on from raiding fruit trees and garbage cans to breaking into houses and trying to den in people’s crawl spaces.
stinger
Beautifully written, Betty Cracker.
jonas
@trollhattan: Which is sound public policy, because we all know that if a government or religious authority wants to censor or ban something, it causes young people in particular to lose interest and not wish to view it at all, and especially not spend a few minutes downloading a pirated copy from somewhere.
Baud
@UncleEbeneezer:
Well, now I know that Barbie doesn’t invade her neighbors to subjugate them. Thanks for the spoiler.
Baud
Now I want a flamingo feather for my hat.
narya
Since it’s an open thread: I ordered 25 pounds of tomatoes from the farm share, and they are now sitting on my counter. Soon, they will be cut in half and put in the oven to roast for awhile–I figure I should do it today, before it gets hot–and then I’m gonna freeze them. My January/February self will thank me. There are also 5 peaches, some of which will be turned into a peach crumble. I think I’m gonna take some of the dried xoconostle I got this week, and add ginger and honey and lime as a salmon marinade, and then make a mango, tomato, and avocado salsa for serving. Yes, it’s going to be a weekend of enjoying the late-summer vegetable bounty. (The other meals are going to be venison with mushrooms cooked in wine, plus roasted Brussels sprouts; fish tacos with the last of my cod and pintos; and . . . something. Maybe cast iron pan pizza.)
lowtechcyclist
@cain:
The developers will do fine: they’ll build shit, they’ll sell it, and they’ll bank their money. The people who already live there will have all those new people buying mini-mansions to bring more property tax revenue to the county so their own bills don’t have to go up.
The people who move in and buy the new houses will be the ones to eventually lose their shirts.
I’ll believe that when it starts happening. I wish it would, but it’s not happening yet.
jonas
@catclub: Yeah, several law-talking types here have noted that generally in a RICO case, you want to *avoid* looking like you’re in a conspiracy, and paying everyone’s legal bills in order to keep them from talking about the conspiracy is problematic. I guess it’s a matter of whether state law in GA actually prohibits that or not. Or whether Trump’s PAC can continue to fund this shit, because he sure as hell isn’t paying for any of it out of his own pocket.
leeleeFL
Beautiful story, BC. I could read your work all day! Not sure if being in my 7th decade has much to do with it, but it made me a titch weepy! Lately, my lacrimal ducts have been overflowing more often than used to be standard. And I need to confess, I cry at Publix and Kodak commercials all the time. So, more often that that!
MisterDancer
@UncleEbeneezer: Meanwhile, Taylor Swift is putting a wreaking ball to box office records:
I know people like to think entertainment doesn’t matter. But I’m sitting here writing this with a Beyoncé shirt from her Reconnaissance album on my bod, y’all. And Beyoncé is also rocking the touring landscape.
I’m thinking about where these+the success of the Barbie movie fits into a political landscape of more and more rights taken away, including for Women and Femmes. I’m certain we’re seeing the waves of a cultural shift, the force of a backlash only those of us who recall the 1960s likely recall in fierceness and violent intent. And I can’t help but wonder if these women-led efforts are tying into frustrations and anger over the state of the state, if you will.
I don’t have all the pieces to hand, but it really reminds me of something I researched in my misspent youth, and yeah, I’m working on a piece for here around it. It’s just this bullshit Russian “moral values” bit made me want to rant about it early :)
Baud
@MisterDancer:
I hope you’re correct. This country has been more culturally liberal than politically liberal for too long a time.
citizen dave
@trollhattan: I can’t find an authoritative list of the nations banning Barbie (wiki link: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barbie_(film)). It appears to be at least 6 but surely there are more reprobate MidEast and Asian nations out there in the group. Perhaps someone will add Russia to the wiki entry.
In any case, came to say this isn’t a good sign for human existence on this planet.
Geminid
@Baud: Both Barbie and Oppenheimer were hits in Turkiye. Someone put up an engagement map showing which movie had more attendence across the different provinces. Then someone put up a map next to it from the recent Presidential election, and you could see that Barbie carried the Erdogan areas and Oppenheimer carried the areas that opposition candidate Kilicdaroglu won.
Omnes Omnibus
Pezzola gets 10 years.
frosty
Great story! Love Beer Can Island. I wonder how it got its name LOL, Years ago when I lived in SoCal, Bolsa Chica was known as Tin Can Beach.
eclare
@MisterDancer:
Got my movie ticket yesterday! I’m seeing it in MXT. Excited! And I’m not really a Swiftie. I hope Beyonce puts a film out, too.
citizen dave
@Baud: Ah, there is the Barbie sequel! I keep reading Greta’s quote riding my work elevator (that has a news screen) that as of now, she has zero interest in a sequel. What about inserting Barbie into a new Canadian Bacon movie? https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0109370/
Fun fact: Rhea Perlman is in Canadian Bacon so could hold down two roles in a Barbie/Bacon sequel
Barbie Invades Canada! Somehow work in how the two lead Kens are both Canadian.
LAO
@Omnes Omnibus: I find myself surprised. I thought he’d get 8 years but then I remembered he also testified at trial and wasn’t all that well received. Although it probably saved him 7 years since he was acquitted of seditious conspiracy.
Thank goodness for Brandi Buchman, she’s doing an amazing job.
Villago Delenda Est
Betty, that sounds like a very pleasant way to spend a sunrise. Once again I must compliment your evocative prose.
bbleh
@Omnes Omnibus: @LAO: (sigh) lucky for him he wasn’t caught doing something serious, like, I dunno, selling crack or something
Omnes Omnibus
@LAO: Jesus Fucking Christ.
Beth H
What a delightful read, Betty! You’re a wonderful writer.
narya
@MisterDancer:
I completely agree. I admit that I don’t have a great handle on it, as I’m not the right age for it and I’m already so far left (ex-president of the Oberlin student council, after all), but it does seem to be the case. I’m eagerly waiting your longer-form thoughts on this.
prostratedragon
@Omnes Omnibus: Was just going to post that under the phrase, “It’s not long enough.”
Villago Delenda Est
@Baud: There was a time when smug white Western Europeans would say “scratch a Russian, find a Tatar.” Nowadays, Tatar would be an upgrade for these choads.
Villago Delenda Est
@prostratedragon: As much as I am a bit repelled by doing so, I must just say “ditto.”
bbleh
@Omnes Omnibus: in one way it’s kind of sad. “Trump won!” Yeah, and guess who lost, guy. Like 10 years’ worth. Hope it was worth it.
prostratedragon
@Villago Delenda Est: As MuellerSheWrote puts it, “His entire screed [complete with declarations of love to his family and choking back tears] to the judge was bullshit.”
LAO
@Omnes Omnibus: Holy shit. I’d drag him back into the courtroom and re-sentence his ass.
None of these dudes are going to make it through supervised release.
Roger Moore
@LAO:
They’re counting on getting pardoned by Trump or whichever Republican is next to be elected. That makes it more important to show loyalty than to do stuff to keep their sentences short.
Albatrossity
According to the ABA Rare Bird Alert, 2 flamingoes are currently lounging on a beach in Ohio, between Cincinnati and Dayton.
LAO
@Roger Moore: fair point
Freemark
@TaMara: One of the first game wardens was murdered over bird plumage in Florida; Guy Bradley
Elizabelle
@narya: Which wines shall I bring?
Kidding. I live in Virginia. But: scrumptious. Have a great holiday weekend.
Betty Cracker
@Albatrossity: Wow!
Paul in KY
@glc: Thank you for sharing that. I thouroughly enjoyed reading it.
smith
@Albatrossity: I look forward to the day they reach Chicago. I have to admit, I’m always thrilled when I spot a monk parakeet here, even though they are exotic, and in some parts of the world, invasive. I just remind myself that they’ve maintained a beachhead here for many years, without yet threatening the corn and soybeans.
Elizabelle
@Omnes Omnibus: I don’t know who that weasel is but: good. Maybe he can get Trump’s visage tattooed on his back. Jackass.
lashonharangue
I was at Lake Nakuru about a year ago. I saw lots of flamingos.
smith
@lashonharangue: Glad to hear it! I guess Wikipedia is a little behind.
Betsy
Wow! What a story.
You should be published, and counted among the ranks of Florida’s finest writers. Carl Hiassen and Dave Barry have nothing on the way you sling a simile.* And MKR had no greater storehouse of Old Florida lore than you.
* my all-time favorite is “crazier than a sprayed roach”
sab
Cuyahoga Valley National Park ( yeah, I know, that flammable river) is one of the most visited parks in the US (because it is near people.) And one of it’s most popular sites is the boardwalk over the Beaver Marsh.
I am so old I remember before there was a park, and the Beaver Marsh was a car junk yard. When the NPS took it over they dug out and hauled away about 1800 wrecked cars from the area. They thought it would be a good parking lot for visitors. So they built a dirt surfaced parking lot.
The beavers thought otherwise, built a dam and flooded the place.
The park people tore up the dam and rebuilt the parking lot. The beavers rebuilt the dam and reflooded the parking lot. The park tore out the dam. The beavers rebuilt. At that point the park people gave up, built a different parking lot and a boardwalk from there to the new Beaver Marsh.
ETA I have seen very few beavers there, but the birds are amazing.
There go two miscreants
@sab: It’s just like with the squirrels and bird feeders: the wildlife has all the time in the world and nothing better to do!
sab
@sab: Fuck! I spelled its wrong! That is one of my pet peeves. It’s is it is contracted to it’s. It possesive is its.
Freemark
@sab:
Your fine. I two get frustrated. But their is nothing wrong with making a mistake or too. There pretty common. So they’re is no reason to beat yourself up about it.
glc
@sab: Technically, I think there is a distinction between spelling something wrong and typing something wrong. When I type “disjoing” rather than “disjoint” it’s not a spelling error …
I’m fairly careful about my spelling, but I’m not at all careful about my typing. This may mean nothing to the reader but it means something to me. When someething matters, I copy edit it, copiously. (Incidentally the mistake in the last sentence was not intentional – my “e” key tends to produce variable results – though more often 0 than 2).
I discovered long ago that it is possible to type the Russian word for “science” by mistake when trying to type “mail.” It’s a startling experience, particularly once you’ve taken your hands off the keyboard and are wondering where that came from.
sab
@Freemark: I saw what you did ////. Exceedingly badly done. I am impressed.
sab
@glc: I just spelled it wrong when I knew how to spell it right. And I disabled spell correct (which would have done as badly.)
Proofread always before you hit post!!!
sab
@Freemark: 👍Beat could have been beet, but that was implausible. Chef’s kiss for the rest.
Chris T.
@sab: Always proofread in case you words out.
(One of a group of rules including “Don’t use commas, that aren’t necessary.” I can’t find the entire rule-set though!)
KSinMA
@gvg: I think the duck with a blue bill might be a Ruddy Duck. https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Ruddy_Duck/id