Willow Waterhole And Roseate Spoonbill

I found a new place today to find some very interesting birds.  It’s called Willow Waterhole and it is a storm water detention basin designed to reduce flood damage but also serves as a nature preserve.

It’s in Southwest Houston and it is tough to find the exact location.  The Houston Chronicle (local newspaper) recently did a story on the location and you can read about that here.  If you would like to read the details about the goal of this nature preserve you can go to the Willow Waterhole Greenspace Conservancy.

Okay, enough about the place, look what I found this morning lurking around.  It’s a Roseate Spoonbill!

Roseate Spoonbill At Willow Waterhole

These are absolutely fascinating looking birds.  I’ve never seen one before, and certainly not one this close.  I honestly didn’t expect to find this bird at this location but I’m glad I did.

The photos aren’t the best I’ve ever taken as I was a little bit excited seeing this bird, and the light wasn’t that great.  I also missed quite a few shots of this bird flying as they were all out of focus.

Roseate Spoonbill With Mouth Open At Willow Waterhole

Here’s the Roseate Spoonbill looking for food.

Roseate Spoonbill Looking For Food At Willow Waterhole

Finally here’s the Spoonbill going for a little walk.

Roseate Spoonbill Going For A Walk At Willow Waterhole

I’m really tempted to wake up early again tomorrow and take some more pictures of this bird.  If I do, I’m really going to work on my composition and focusing.

Related posts:

1. Roseate Skimmer