So I was having a little trouble deciding which of the storm-blown waders to put up next, they're all quite interesting. That decision got a little easier when I took a look out of the window tonight and spotted a pink blob down on the pond. A pink blob I knew would turn out to be this guy:
It is, of course, a Caribbean Flamingo, Phoenicopterus ruber, and this chap is one of two I see semi-regularly down on the pond. What was good here was that a) I haven't seen them for 2 or 3 months and b) now the waterlevel has dropped he was a lot closer to my digiscoping range than usual. If I was being churlish I'd complain about his turning up in the twilight the day after one of my visiting friends left the country but, hey, I'm not into churlishness!
I'm fairly sure that's a white plastic ring on his right leg - but this bird isn't what British birders may term a "plastic fence-hopper." All our birds stem from a reintroduction programme so many of them are rung.
As you can see I was able to get a little closer than usual and he wasn't bothered in the slightest. He happily continued feeding and preening until the light got to bad for me to continue (OK it wasn't the light it was the mosquitos - I headed down in office clothes and repellant-less and it sucked). Being able to observe closer I got to see the weird pedalling/paddling dance the flamingoes use to stir up the water - it was most unusual and if I can find him in daylight I'll be using the camera's video option to try and share.
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