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Posted by Rafael Galvez on 14:48:48 09/24/07
In Reply to: Caribbean Flamingos at Snake Bight, individual appearance and feathers posted by Rafael Galvez
Thanks to everyone that wrote direct responses/comments/questions to my email, and to those who posted.
I am not in the position to speculate on the origin of any of the many flocks seen throughout south FL within recent time. But looking over reports of Flamingos over the past 7 years, it is clear we are not getting the numbers we had before 2005. In reality, only recently are we seeing Flamingos returning to the Snake Bight vicinity. From 2001 to 2004 we had sizable flocks regularly reported from the Everglades, but that changed:
In 2001 & 2002, birds were reported in the winter, spring, and fall, flocks numbering as many as 33 birds. (Both years, flamingos showed up at the Dump Marsh/Cutler Wetlands area.)
In 2003 & 2004, flocks at Snake Bight had as many as 70 birds, and aerial surveys of the park in 03 revealed as many as 100 birds.
We have not seen an approximation to those numbers anywhere outside of Hialeah Park from 2005-2007.
It is shameful how the conservation of the Caribbean Flamingo is not a serious issue in America.
Here is an update for those who'd like to speculate about the origin of our Flamingos:
As has been reported by many over the years regarding the Hialeah Park birds (read Bob Showler's great summary on TAS 05/21/06), the former race track is still closed. There are currently 320 free-flying flamingos there, which are regularly fed dog-food with coloring to maintain their color. Contrary to popular opinion, these birds are quite bright, and more uniformly colored than the birds we have been seeing over the years in the Florida Bay. Over the last year and a half, the Hialeah flock has lost (birds that flew off and never returned) as many as 55 birds. (Read interesting reports by Ken Schneider et. al. of Flamingos in July/05 over Miramar/Pembroke P.) This is information that was given to me directly by the caretaker, the asset manager, and the superintendent at Hialeah Park.
For any of you keeping up with local news, you might know that Hialeah Park is currently under threat by developers. Mogul and owner of the park Brunetti has no use for this relic any more. Much fear and speculation about the livelihood of that flock has some activist groups in Hialeah worried.
Curator at the MetroZoo, Mr. Carners was informing me about the egg harvesting program they've had with Hialeah Park, but they have no control over the future of this flock. Mr. Carners also informed me about how the Hialeah birds do nest, incubate, fledge, and raise young to maturity in Hialeah Park, and that a small number of the birds each year do not choose to stay in the park, and fly off never to return.
Therefore, it seems unlikely that flocks of 100 birds in the Bay in 03 were directly the result of escapees from Hialeah, but whether those few that fledged in Hialeah Park and left did in fact end up in the Everglades and beyond, remains a mystery.
Thanks
Rafael A. Galvez
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