[ Follow Ups ] [ Post Followup ] [ TAS BirdBoard ] [ FAQ ]
Posted by Ken Schneider on 16:07:00 07/14/05
In Reply to: Greater Flamingos in Miramar posted by Kenneth C. Schneider
The report of my sighting of a flock of seven flamingos in Miramar on July 12 generated several direct responses. No one provided any information about how to get permission to access the water conservation area where the birds may have settled down. This large area is located south of Pembroke Road, between US-27 and the SW 196th Avenue canal. The birds are probably long gone by now anyway.
If there has been a recent monograph on the subject, I will be interested to read it, but will share these comments and invite others to contribute information about flamingo distribution outside Everglades National Park. The consensus is that all free ranging flamingos seen in Florida are of unknown origin, with the exception of one or more recoveries of banded birds from Cuba or other Caribbean islands, and possibly some in Everglades National Park that have wandered north from breeding grounds. In recent years, have any been hatched in Florida wild lands?
It seemed fair to assume that escapees from aviaries would be seen singly or in smaller groups. As a newcomer to Florida, I was not aware that the Hialeah Race Track flock of Greater Flamingos is free-flying and it would not be unusual to see flocks in and around Miami-Dade and possibly Broward County. Have I missed reports on the birding hot lines, or are they just so common that they do not deserve mention by local birders?
Exposing my ignorance, I thought that the race track had closed down a couple of years ago, but several tourist Web sites say it is now an "Audubon Sanctuary" and the flamingos are still there. I could not find any information about the status of this sanctuary, and neither the Tropical Audubon, National Audubon Society, nor the Florida Audubon Web sites refer to it. Are these birds now "wild" and left to fend on their own, or are they still considered "domesticated"? How large is the flock? Are they still being fed artificially to keep up their color? Is the sanctuary open to visitors?
The Miramar birds did not appear to have leg bands to indicate they were escapees from an aviary. They were about 30 feet up and 30 feet out from my viewpoint, and I did not have time to get my binoculars, so I could have missed seeing bands if they were present. They were indeed quite deeply pink all over, with the exception of black flight feathers. At 7:45 PM. the sun was low and yellow, so it may have intensified the color, but in no way were these as white as are some flamingos seen and photographed in the Everglades. The deep color could either indicate that they had been artificially fed (Hialeah Race Track is about 13 miles southeast of our home) or that winds from hurricane Dennis had assisted them in from Cuba. We will never really know.
Several people were interested in why we had relocated, ranging from Why did you move to Florida to Who would ever want to leave New Mexico? That s a whole other story. Let s just say that we traded the adrenaline rush from running into a bear on the mountain trails of New Mexico for that from the hurricane threats in Florida!
The birds visited us exactly 1 year after we moved to Florida, our 50th yard bird species and number 600 on my (not all ABA) life list. Irrespective of their origin, this was an awesome encounter! Thanks to all who responded.
Ken
Visit our New Mexico Rosy Finch Web Site at http://www.rosyfinch.com
[ Follow Ups ] [ Post Followup ] [ TAS BirdBoard ] [ FAQ ]