Spotting the Roseate Spoonbills of Stick Marsh

When does a colorful bird become even more colorful? From late January until March, roseate spoonbills are in their courtship plumage. Throughout the year, these birds are colorful, with their pink feathers, quirky bills, and seemingly whimsical faces. Nevertheless, during courtship season, a roseate spoonbill becomes more flamboyant than ever. The pink of the plumage deepens and takes on a vibrant glow. The bird seems to have donned a green cap, as the pale yellow hues of its head turn to key lime. Patches of yellow appear on the shoulders and the tail; in the sunlight, they glisten like pirate’s gold. The roseate spoonbill has reached its full glory.

This wonder of nature can be observed and enjoyed in our area, notably at the Stick Marsh in Fellsmere.

In 2016, scientists found 140 roseate spoonbill nests on the small islands of the Stick Marsh. There were also 193 great egret nests and 226 nests identified as belonging to “small herons,” a category that includes tricolored herons, snowy egrets, and cattle egrets. This led to the location being designated as a Critical Wildlife Area (CWA), affording it protection, especially during nesting season.

The study was conducted by ecologist David Cox of the Florida Conservancy and researcher Jerry Lorenz of the Everglades Science Center of Audubon Florida, in cooperation with the Pelican Island Audubon Society; the CWA designation was granted by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.

Cox recalls that there was an element of serendipity to it, as he had recently visited the Stick Marsh when called upon to speak at an FWC meeting in support of other potential CWAs in Florida. “At the end I mentioned, ‘By the way, I’ve just been to this great place with all these roseate spoonbills.’” As when Columbo says “One more thing,” a seemingly offhand comment had significant consequences. Interest was sparked, and the establishment of protection was unusually swift. “FWC really stepped up and did their job.”

How are the roseate spoonbill numbers now? The protection is undoubtedly to their benefit, and Cox notes, “We still have heavy visitation at the two small islands of the Stick Marsh.” Ironically, however, the protected status makes a precise census impossible, since even the scientists can no longer go ashore on the islands during spoonbill breeding season.

The 2016 numbers had been based upon very hands-on study. “We kayaked out to the islands and literally climbed around in the trees,” Cox explains. Lorenz “had a pretty nifty extendable mirror so we could look down into the nests.”

Picture two adventurous researchers clinging to the branches of a tree, holding a pole with a mirror attached to it. They raise it above a nest, looking at the reflection to see inside. Even if the nest was empty, the fragments of eggs could allow them to identify the species of birds that had made it their home. Of course, many nests were occupied, and Cox recalls with a laugh, “There were a lot of birds around us, and we had to dodge a lot of guano. We tried to be as fast as we could while still being accurate. And the birds settled right back after we left.”

The value of the Stick Marsh is very apparent to birdwatching guides David and Dee Simpson of Fellsmere. In fact, David has done a different kind of study here—something that birders call the “Big Sit.” The name is a play on the “Big Year,” an idea made famous by the book and movie of that title. A Big Year is when birders travel in an effort to see as many species as possible in one year; in contrast, a Big Sit involves remaining within an area of your choice for one day and seeing how many species of birds you can identify. Your chosen spot must be no larger than a circle 17 feet in diameter.

“The idea is that if you sit in one place, eventually every bird in the world comes to you—some anonymous person said that,” explains David Simpson with a laugh. At the Stick Marsh, he usually begins an hour before sunrise, even though “there are an unbelievable number of mosquitoes here when it’s dark.” He does not remain there the entire day, typically ending a Big Sit around noon. However, during just one of those sessions, he counted 80 species. Think about that: from an hour before sunrise to noon, 80 different species of birds were identified by one man remaining within a circular area 17 feet in diameter. Such is the richness of the Stick Marsh.

Among the more exotic species Simpson has seen there is the vermilion flycatcher, a small bird which, as its name indicates, is a spectacular bright red. It is rare indeed to see a vermilion flycatcher in eastern Florida; the species is primarily associated with Latin America, and any U.S. sightings represent the northern edge of their range.

In 2023, Simpson also saw a large-billed tern at the Stick Marsh. “That’s a South American species; they had been dispersed, presumably, by a drought in the Amazon,” he explains. In its aerodynamic design and minimalist plumage of white, gray, and black, the large-billed tern resembles terns that are commonly seen in our area; however, the bill really is disproportionate in its size—“large” is an understatement—making it unmistakable.

Even getting to the Stick Marsh is interesting. The protected islands can be viewed from the parking area, which itself is reached via a surprisingly smooth gravel road over 5 miles in length. Alligators may be glimpsed in the marshy waters nearby, and feral hogs have been seen in the scrub land. Like Vero’s famous Jungle Trail, this Fellsmere road is evocative of Old Florida.

The roseate spoonbill calendar in the Stick Marsh starts during the winter. “They normally begin gathering here around January; some years they hold off until February,” says Simpson. Gathering from where? “They’re not so much migratory as wandering—they go where the food is. They nest when they do because water levels drop in late winter, and that concentrates their food resources.”

Since courtship is a prelude to nesting, January, February, and March represent the peak of color. There is a degree of fading in late March and April; however, these months bring the chance to see spoonbill babies. As the babies are fledging, their parents will sometimes bring them to the shores near the protected islands, Simpson notes.

For observing spoonbills, as for all birdwatching, good binoculars are highly recommended. In addition to helping you see out to the islands, binoculars will help you appreciate the colors of the birds. Focus on the bright patches of color found on the shoulders, neck, and head when roseate spoonbill plumage is at its peak.

Dee Simpson relates how her favorite spoonbill experience took place during the fledging period. “The day I bought my video camera, a mother roseate spoonbill brought her baby down here to the banks, and she fed it right in front of me. It was like they knew I had a new camera,” she laughs. The enormous bills of the birds make the process of feeding a young one look awkward to humans. “It looked kind of like they were having a sword fight.”

Dee enjoys the reactions of people who are visiting the Stick Marsh on one of the Simpson birdwatching tours. There is a sense of discovery and connection as they learn the names of birds they may have seen in the past yet never managed to identify on their own. “Once you know something’s name, you can learn to love it and understand it,” she says.

Dee uses the analogy of a stranger cutting you off in traffic: you feel irritated; yet, if you recognize the person who cuts you off, you can think, “That’s Mrs. Jones, and I know her husband is in the hospital and she’s under a lot of pressure—I understand.” Connection can be fostered by knowing a name.

A fascinating reaction came from a friend who has two children. “I brought them out to the Stick Marsh, and they said they had never seen a spoonbill before,” Dee says. “They were so excited.” Soon, the children were drawing bright pink pictures of birds. Not long afterward, they called Dee from their home, and with amazement in their voices said that a spoonbill had just flown over their house.

The moral of the story? There were already birds around them, but the visit to the Stick Marsh helped the young family notice and appreciate them. “If you don’t look for it, you just don’t see it.”