Bird Weekly Challenge #11: Rare Bird for your Area

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Several years ago, Henry and I were sitting on our back deck when a big pink bird flew over the marsh and landed in the creek. Like any good bird photographer I grabbed my camera and went out to investigate.

There were two Roseate Spoonbills searching for food in the creek bed. Until that sighting I had never seen one of these magnificent birds in our area.

Roseate Spoonbill in Georgia Tidal Creek
Roseate Spoonbill with 2 young juvenile little blue herons in Georgia

There was another Roseate Spoonbill in the creek for a few days the next year. Sadly, they haven’t been back since then.

Roseate Spoonbill in Georgia Creek

One winter a few years ago a Snowy Owl was spotted on top of one of the condominium buildings at the beach. Of course I grabbed my camera and went in search of this bird rarely seen in coastal Georgia. I set up my tripod with other excited birders and snapped away. He was pretty far off but I managed to get this shot. Can you see his yellow eyes?

Snowy Owl, Tybee Island, Georgia

Thanks you Lisa. for this challenge. Her original post is Bird Weekly Challenge #10 – Rare bird for your area

18 thoughts on “Bird Weekly Challenge #11: Rare Bird for your Area”

    1. Judy, they are easy to spot in the wild with their brilliant pink feathers. The light was bad when I took those photos so I couldn’t capture the pink very well. The last photo was five years ago.

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  2. Did you know what the Roseatte Spoonbill was the first time you saw one? So pretty, with just a blush of color. We once stayed overnight at the zoo with our young twin boys as part of a scout outing. It snowed a couple inches overnight, and in the morning we took a walk around the zoo before it opened. Even though he was in a cage (wired, so not obtrusive bars), I’ll never forget how beautiful the snowy owl looked in the greenery with snow all around. I really enjoyed that walk – and your post! Thanks for sharing and enjoy your day.

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    1. Betty, thank you! Yes, I had seen spoonbills in the wild in Florida and Texas so I knew what they were. The snowy owl was so unusual it made the news. Birders came from all over to see it. Seeing one in the snow had to be an amazing sight for you and the scouts.

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  3. I bet that is the same Snowy Owl in my photo. As far as I know, there was only one that migrated this far south and there hasn’t been another siting since then. Someone missed their turn around point that year. I’m glad you got to see the spoonbills in your area. They are all over the marshes on A1A towards Fernandina right now. Saw about 30 of them last weekend but they were too far away for a photo. 💜

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    1. Lisa, when I saw your snowy owl photo I thought it must have been the same bird. You were lucky to see it in a natural setting instead of on top of a building 😀There have been spoonbill sightings near us this summer but I haven’t seen them.

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      1. Jog a little south & you will see them. There is no doubt that is the same owl. It was about 200 yards away and this was taken with a 200mm lens & cropped in photoshop. Best we got. You are lucky to have seen it too. If WP hadn’t brought us together, that owl would have. 😊💜

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  7. You’ve had some good chance encounters with feathered friends in your area. When we lived in Key Largo, Roseatte Spoonbills were often spotted. Now living in Vero Beach, they are not as common but we had several visit the pond across from our home last year. They truly are a beautiful bird.

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