Caution – Spoony porn below. Excessive pinkness going on. Proceed at your own risk!

I stop at the alligator exhibit and see two spoonbills sitting together in the short palm trees. I don’t think anything of it but hope that a future nest would be great. I didn’t want to get too excited. Two years ago a couple nested here but last year they did not.  I walked around the area for a few minutes and then was about to head back to the see the baby elephant when the below started to happen.

Is it???? Yes, it is!!!  Spoonbills mating. I started snapping away. No one else noticed. They were all too busy looking at the sleeping alligators below.

Yes, I know, I’m intruding on their bedroom. But they were doing in right in the middle of the zoo. They could have found some nice quiet woods anywhere else.

It was over in a flash. Or at least 20 snaps.

You’re thinking “It’s over. He’s outta there.”

He flew down to the ground close by and picked up a stick. Not just any ole stick. This was his third stick he picked up. He was finding just the right one.

He flew into the tree with his stick.

And flew over to her and presented her with the stick. If that isn’t love, I don’t know what is. No diamonds, no candy. Just a stick.

She’s like “Gimmi the stick all ready.”

He gives here the stick.

She takes it and puts in the crook of the palm tree. After this they settled down and looked like they were ready for a nap.

Sometimes timing is everything. I had about two hours to kill two Sunday mornings ago so I headed to the Lowry Park zoo which is close by to see the baby elephant again. When I first got there the baby elephant was way in the back of the exhibit playing behind a bunch of logs. I decided to do a quick lap of the zoo and see if any wild birds were hanging around the alligator exhibit yet. Wild egrets and herons nest there in the spring. They build nests in the big oak and palm trees around the exhibit. There were already a lot of great egrets sitting on nests high up in the oak trees. I saw the two spoonbills sitting together on a short palm tree and thought “Wouldn’t it be great if they nested here again like they did two years ago.” I was just about to walk away to head back to the elephants when I saw the flash of pink flying. 

Happy Valentine’s Day!

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