If you haven’t had a chance to see a Roseate Spoonbill up close, two may be spotted around lakes at the Miami Lakes Golf Club.
Rob Waterfield is a part-time, first tee starter at the club and photographed this Roseate Spoonbill there in June with his Apple iPhone.
“It had just taken off and was flying in front of me,” Waterfield said. Conditions were right: It was near sunset and after a rainstorm.
Waterfield saw the birds walking around the 17th tee, about 100 feet from a pond where they had been foraging along the edge.
“They poke their beaks down into the mud, looking for food,” Waterfield said.
The Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission says the bird is native to the state and is listed as imperiled due to shrinking habitats and threats from pesticides and “illegal shootings.”
On the Audubon Field Guide site you can hear a Roseate Spoonbill’s calls: https://buff.ly/3KrflH6.
If you would like to share photos of favorite places around town, please send them to LindaT@MiamiLaker.com.