Eastern Sierra

Eastern Sierra
Eastern Sierra snow October 2010

Thursday, March 4, 2010

Flamingos and nests~Nature Notes for 030410


I often walk over to the flamingo pond after dropping hubby off at work. I love to see how their island changes throughout the seasons. Right now, their nests are very noticeable (click on photo to enlarge it and see the nests). Soon, little gray, fuzzy flamingos will be covering the island. Did you know that the flamingos are given a special diet to make them pink? These are at the Desert Springs Marriott in Palm Desert, CA. Hubby works there and I often see tourists out by the flamingo island, taking photos. It is such a beautiful place to visit! This particular Marriott is also designated as a bird sanctuary because so many migrating birds stop there on their way south. I've seen Canadian geese, ducks, egrets (both white and gray) stop there and rest. Because it has so many ponds and waterways, it is a great spot to see different kinds of birds. Nature Notes for March 4, 2010.

7 comments:

Carolyn Ford said...

Those are beautiful. I'll have to visit that resort again in the near future. I have been around the swimming pools but haven't ventured further...nice. So, flamingos in the wild are not pink...would they be white? Interesting.

Unknown said...

No, I didn't know flamingos are fed something special to make them pink. Fascinating. I wonder what the special diet is!

desertsandbeyond said...

Okay, I'm reading up on flamingos! And, it is spelled without "es", just "s". MY BAD! Guess it doesn't follow the tomato/potato rule! I found this:
A flamingo's pink or reddish feather color comes from its diet, which is high in alpha and beta-carotene. People eat beta-carotene when they eat carrots.

desertsandbeyond said...

Here's more:
Captive flamingos are feed a special diet that includes prawns (a pigmented crustacean) or additives such as beta-carotene or canthaxanthin, otherwise they would be white or pale pink. Young flamingos have gray plumage that changes color according to their diet.

desertsandbeyond said...

I can't WAIT to see the gray babies! I will definitely update and post photos when the little guys arrive!

eileeninmd said...

Beautiful birds and wonderful photo!

ramblingwoods said...

What a lovely place to be able to visit. I didn't know that their diet made them pink and I too would be excited to see little flamingo babies.... Thank you for posting to Nature Notes... Michelle