Taking A Stand

[Skele]

The San Antonio Zoo and Aquarium opened up a new exhibit (well an extension of an exhibit), Africa Live 2 this past weekend. The new part was absolutely packed so I kept my new camera and new lens in my backpack so no photos of that... I really like this picture of a flamingo as well as the tiger.








Thanks for looking

Donna

[corralup]

Neat! I've always liked flamingos. I wish we can see them in the wild here. I'll have to settle for the spoons. The tiger looks like he's very happy. And not sure on the last one but he looks happy too. Thanks!

[lhdvies]

Nce, I also like the Tiger.

[sandboa]

I'll have to run down there and see the new phase. I was there last week and you could look over it but not get into it. I may wait until the madness quiets down a bit.

Originally Posted by corralup

Neat! I've always liked flamingos. I wish we can see them in the wild here.

For the last several years, there has been a pair of "wild" flamingos on the Texas coast somewhere. They have generally hung around the Goose Island State park area. One individual is believed to be an escapee from a zoo but the other is known to be a wild American Flamingo from the colony at Celestun in the Yucatan (it was banded there as a juvenile, proving its origins). IIRC, it appeared after one of the Hurricanes in the Yucatan a few years back.

One good rule of thumb is that if you see a flamingo in the wild that is intense dark pink like this photo, its probably a zoo animal. Wild flamingos don't get the color enhancing supplements that zoo birds get.

I haven't seen any reports of them lately, but if you are on the central Texas coast and see what looks like a Flamingo - it just might be!

[Skele]

I'm going down the Corpus Christi/Kingsville area for work in the next few weeks. Am planning on spending a little time at the beach (assuming I can swing it with work obligations) so I'll keep my eye out for more flamingos.

Thanks for looking everyone!

[sandboa]

Originally Posted by Skele

I'm going down the Corpus Christi/Kingsville area for work in the next few weeks. Am planning on spending a little time at the beach (assuming I can swing it with work obligations) so I'll keep my eye out for more flamingos.

This was posted on the Texas birding listserver yesterday -

"Patrick Walther, biologist at McFaddin and Texas Point NWRs, currently flying waterfowl surveys on the Texas Coast, reports seeing the "pair of oddball flamingos ...back at the same location on Aransas NWR. Saw them on Wednesday, February 24, 2010." They were first reported on the Whitmire
Unit of Aransas NWR back in November 2006, and their wanderings have been
chronicled subsequently on TEXBIRDS and LABIRD."

So they are still hanging around together.

[Skele]

I'll keep an eye and hopefully a camera out! Thanks for the heads up!