This morning I was out taking photos of a Reddish Egret and a Roseate Spoonbill in Robinson Preserve when two women stopped to ask what I was shooting. My wife first mentioned the Roseate Spoonbill, of which there was little response, and then she mentioned the Reddish Egret. “I’ve always wanted to see a Reddish Egret,” one of the women said. My wife pointed out the Reddish Egret, so she wouldn’t miss an opportunity to see it.
I took a moment to finish getting a shot of the two birds together and then I offered to let her see the egret through my lens. I figured the Reddish Egret, one of the rarest birds in North America and the rarest egret there is, deserved a close up. The encounter got me thinking about how fortunate we are here in this region. We have an abundance of birds other people have never seen. Last year I pointed out a Tricolored Heron to a an out-of-town visitor walking along the trail, she was excited about the opportunity to see a bird she had never seen.
That brought me back to a photo discussion I did earlier this year with the Founders Club of Sarasota. One of the women there told me she had never seen a roseate spoonbill in the wild, even though she lived on the beach. Because I grew up here, I sometimes forget how fortunate we are to see these birds with not a lot of effort. I do have to go looking for the reddish egret, but the Tricolored Herons are usually around on a regular basis. Spoonbills have certain habitats they prefer, but if you know where to look they can seem abundant.
The truth is, we have lost a lot of these birds and they are not as easily spotted any more. So if you have an opportunity to see a bird in the wild, take a second to appreciate the moment and remember that we’re fortunate to live in a place that allows us an opportunity to see some amazing bird species.
