The roseate spoonbills that live at the Florida Aquarium have a big aviary to hang out in. Early in the morning if you get there when they first open, the spoonbills usually hang out right up front, at the edge of the water in the exhibit. It was quiet and they were running around feeding and squabbling over the best spots. As the aquarium gets busy the spoonbills fly up in the trees and nap. It’s cool to see these beautiful birds up close.
I love seeing the big sting rays at the aquarium. It’s funny how they have faces underneath. I think that first one was smiling at me.
It’s fun to watch the kids go crazy over the sharks. You get to see them close up.
A turtle cruising by.
There’s something hypnotic about watching the fish swim by.
More fun from my September visit to the Florida Aquarium in Tampa.
It’s rare to get this close to roseate spoonbills. I see them occasionally in the ponds and ditches around work but they are usually far away. There are several that live in the aviary at the Florida Aquarium and they seem to be comfortable around the crowds. You can’t get close enough to touch them but closer than out in the wild. All are permanently injured with a wing or an eye missing and live here now. They develop more color in their faces as they get older during breeding season. These were all taken with my 200mm lens and cropped.
There are a few other birds there as well such as this ibis trying to eat something that doesn’t look like food.
Views from outside the aquarium.
It’s not often you can get this close to a roseate spoonbill. These were taken at the Florida Aquarium in Tampa recently. These spoonbills are residents at the aquarium and live in a big aviary that you walk through. They are acclimated to people coming through and watching them live their lives. Feeding, fighting and napping all day long. It’s like the spoonbill version of “The Truman Show” movie. Most of these spoonbills have some type of injury. It was fun to watch people see them for the first time and gasp at how pretty they are.
Linking to Wednesday Around The World
