spoonbill – Mia McPherson's On The Wing Photography

Christmas Day Bird Photos Thru The Years

By Mia McPherson|2024-03-05T14:21:20-06:00December 25th, 2020|Categories: Bald Eagles, Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, Birds, Box Elder County, Common Goldeneyes, Davis County, Farmington Bay Waterfowl Management Area, Florida, Fort De Soto County Park, Golden Eagles, Long-eared Owls, Pied-billed Grebes, Pinellas County, Red-tailed Hawks, Roseate Spoonbills, Salt Lake County, Utah|Tags: adult, Bald Eagle, Christmas Day, close up, Common Merganser, crayfish, eagle, eagles, first year, foggy, Golden Eagle, grebes, haek, hawks, immature, landing Bear River, Long-eared Owl, oel, owls, Pied-billed Grebe, portrait, Red-tailed Hawk, Roseate Spoonbill, snow, snow storm, snowy, spoonbill, wading birds, winter, young|

Today I wanted to share some of the Christmas Day bird photos I have taken through the years out in the field and close to home.

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Roseate Spoonbill in a lagoon with a young Mangrove

By Mia McPherson|2024-03-24T07:45:50-05:00January 5th, 2016|Categories: Birds, Florida, Fort De Soto County Park, Pinellas County, Roseate Spoonbills|Tags: adult, breeding plumage, coastal, lagoon, mangrove, mangroves, Platalea ajaja, Roseate Spoonbill, spoonbill, spoonbills, tidal lagoon, wading birds, water|

I can recall vividly the morning I photographed this Roseate Spoonbill in a lagoon with a young mangrove by its legs at Fort De Soto County Park.

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Roseate Sunset

By Mia McPherson|2016-12-07T12:07:49-06:00May 18th, 2015|Categories: Birds, Florida, Fort De Soto County Park, Pinellas County, Roseate Spoonbills|Tags: Platalea ajaja, Roseate Spoonbill, spartina marsh, spoonbill, spoonbills, sunset, tidal lagoon, wading birds|

I have always loved the pinks of the Roseate Spoonbills and the evening sun just made the colors even more delightful looking.

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Long billed Birds and Preening

By Mia McPherson|2021-09-09T04:06:18-05:00March 7th, 2014|Categories: American Oystercatchers, American White Pelicans, Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, Birds, Box Elder County, Florida, Fort De Soto County Park, Long-billed Curlews, Roseate Spoonbills|Tags: American Oystercatcher, American White Pelican, curlew, curlews, Haematopus palliatus, long bill, long bills, Long-billed Curlew, Numenius americanus, oystercatcher, oystercatchers, Pelecanus erythrorhynchos, pelican, pelicans, Platalea ajaja, preening, Roseate Spoonbill, shorebirds, spoonbill, spoonbills, uropygial gland, wading birds|

Preening in birds is essential for keeping their feathers clean, arranged correctly and for some birds it is a way to distribute oils from the uropygial gland which helps to keep the feathers clean and healthy.

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Roseate Spoonbill and Wood Stork Size Comparison

By Mia McPherson|2023-02-26T07:17:25-06:00February 15th, 2013|Categories: Birds, Florida, Fort De Soto County Park, Pinellas County, Roseate Spoonbills, Wood Storks|Tags: adult, beach, coastal, comparison, lagoon, Mycteria americana, Platalea ajaja, Roseate Spoonbill, size comparison, spoonbill, spoonbills, stork, storks, tidal lagoon, wading bird, wading birds, water, Wood Stork|

This photo shows a Roseate Spoonbill and Wood Stork on the shoreline of a tidal lagoon at Fort De Soto County Park in Florida and it shows how the Wood Stork can dwarf the Roseate Spoonbill in height.

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Roseate Spoonbills

By Mia McPherson|2019-12-25T04:15:47-06:00December 19th, 2010|Categories: Birds, Florida, Fort De Soto County Park, Pinellas County, Roseate Spoonbills|Tags: bird ID, feeding, hunting, Platalea ajaja, resting, Roseate Spoonbill, spoonbill, spoonbills, wading bird|

Cotton candy pink... are the descriptive words I thought of when I saw my first Roseate Spoonbill.

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