The flamingo casually waded atop knobby-kneed legs in the aromatic muck among the egrets, terns, and ducks at Leonabelle Turnbull Birding Center. One eye darted about in profile, perfectly cognizant of the activity but not quite sure what all the fuss was about. Just as unassumingly as it had begun, the show was over. The flamingo struck that famous single-legged pose, curled back its neck and settled into an afternoon nap.
Rae Mooney, Nature Preserve Manager for the City of Port Aransas, said she was first notified of three flamingos at the preserve in the fall of 2023. “Over time, they all left. We assume one of them came back, but it could be a different flamingo.” No one knows for sure the age or sex of the flamingo, she added, but “it is widely believed that this flamingo is a result of Hurricane Idalia.”
The paparazzi ebbs and flows, and though photographer John Morris has seen the observation deck “essentially shoulder-to-shoulder” with birders. “It’s kind of normal now,” he said. The flamingo has a routine of feeding. preening and the occasional “crazy bathing scene Morris has captured, to the delight of the internet. The hallmark of bird photography, Morris shared, is in the eye. “If you don’t have an eye, you don’t have a shot, dude,” he said. “You’re looking for that little glint in the eye, right there.”
Most birds have three eyelids, which can appear foggy in an otherwise perfect shot. At least, Morris continued, “it’s not a tagged bird, which is kind of nice.” Photos of whooping cranes with research bands can make the birds look like they are on house arrest, he joked. Watching the flamingo, he noted that “it seems to be able to coexist in close proximity to the pelicans. It’s kind of comical: these big, beefy birds, and this pink bird comes strolling in …”…