A spoonbill parent, right, feeds its young in the Alafia Banks Bird Sanctuary on June 7.
[Photo: Courtesy of Aydelette Kelsey]]
Aububon spoonbill technician Marianne Korosy, of Palm Harbor, takes notes as part of a study on spoonbills at the Alafia Banks Bird Sanctuary on June 7. Wildlife photographer Aydette Kelsey, of Clearwater, is an Audubon Society Member.
[Times photo: Theresa Blackwell]
A young spoonbill banded on the Alafia Banks preens in a dead tree near Jack Willie's Tiki Bar & Grill in Oldsmar last week.
WATCH FOR THESE BIRDS
Florida's largest spoonbill nursery is quieter now. Most of the chicks have left their nests at the Alafia Banks Bird Sanctuary in Hillsborough Bay for coastal and inland waters, some around Tampa Bay, some elsewhere. Now here's where you come in: Volunteers with Audubon of Florida put identification bands on spoonbill chicks. The young birds have whitish feathers on their heads instead of the adult's bald green skin and their other feathers are a paler pink. If you see a banded roseate spoonbill, note the location, including the county, where you saw the bird. Take a photo with the band showing if possible. Note the color of the band, which leg it's on and the letters and numbers, read from the top down, if they're visible. Then call Audubon at 813 623-6826 or e-mail apaul@audubon.org
WHY IT MATTERS
The spoonbill is considered an indicator species for the health of Florida's waterways. This year, at the Alafia Banks, 216 of 233 banded spoonbill chicks survived long enough to take flight. "It's very good, remarkably good, surprisingly good," said Marianne Korosy of Palm Harbor, Audubon spoonbill technician. By comparison, the news from Florida Bay in South Florida was not as good. There, feeding grounds needed for some nests are flooded as officials manage water levels in the Everglades. As a result, only about 100 chicks there - less than a quarter of the number of nests - survived long enough to fly away.
