A Closer Look at the New Spoonbill

Back at work, the Alligator continued to glide across the waters of the retention pond. I was more interested in making sure I got to check if the Spoonbill I found yesterday was still present near home. Now I just had to make it home while there was still enough light.



No problem. Arrived with plenty of time let. Good news was that the Spoonbill was in the smaller pond right next to the parking lot today. The only difficult thing would be getting the camera lens in close enough to take an unobstructed shot through the green fencing that surrounds the smaller pond. So, first I test out my skills on a juvenile Boat-tailed Grackle.



Next, the poor decoy they placed here could really use some water.



All set. Over toward the Spoonbill. It eyed me for a second but seemed to feel safe enough. Plus, I was on the far side of the fence. I managed to get the lens in enough to gets some good shots of this cute juvenile Roseate Spoonbill.



Juveniles retain the feathers on their heads for a while. Before too long this bird will mature and it will go bald, showing a greenish scalp.



I admired it for a few minutes longer and then headed back home. It has been 5 years since the last Spoonbill stopped by during a rainstorm. Now we have had two in as many weeks.