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Roseate Spoonbill



Hey Carolina Birders,

I'll add my two cents to Phil and Sharon Turner's earlier report on the
Roseate Spoonbill seen at Huntington Beach State Park this morning.

I received a call from Sharon sometime before 10:00 am.  I was on the
computer at the time and didn't get the message for another fifteen minutes
or so.  When I heard of the sighting I immediately headed for Huntington
Beach.  I knew approximately where the bird had been seen and I began to
look for it as I crossed the causeway.  I was looking for bright pink but
nothing stood out immediately.  I parked on the east end of the causeway and
scampered back across with the scope.  I met a couple on the causeway and
asked if they were aware of the bird.  They said they'd seen it earlier and
directed me to the location.  I reached the observation deck on the
saltmarsh side of the causeway and began to scan in and around the trees on
the west side of the marsh.  I immediately noticed what I assumed were three
Great Egrets in the oaks just a few feet off the causeway.  One however
appeared a bit "dirty" and slightly smaller.  The third bird was in fact a
juvenile Roseate Spoonbill.  A closer look through the scope revealed a
faint pinkish cast and that very strange looking bill.  The three birds
preened for another ten minutes or so before taking off.  The egrets settled
down in the marsh but the spoonbill did not.  The bird circled Mullet Pond
and the saltmarsh several times.  It continued to gain altitude and
eventually disappeared.  In general, the bird appeared to be heading in a
northerly direction toward Murrells Inlet.

The spoonbill was a county, state, year and life bird for me!  I certainly
appreciate the timely message from the Turners as well as the initial
sighting of the bird by Steve Roff there at Huntington Beach.  Thanks so
much to each of you.

Good Birding!
Ritch Lilly
Myrtle Beach, SC
scbeachbums@hotmail.com