Dead Flamingo Found Off Honeymoon Island in Pinellas, Boater Says

DUNEDIN, FL — A dead flamingo was found off Honeymoon Island, a Pinellas County barrier island in Dunedin, by a boater in the area.

In the days following Hurricane Idalia’s hit to Florida, migrating flamingos blown off course while traveling from Mexico to Cuba have been spotted up and down the west coast of Florida — from Sanibel to Tallahassee.

A number of these rare sightings have been in Pinellas County, and a waterlogged bird rescued off St. Pete Beach is in the care of the Seaside Seabird Sanctuary. Another was also rescued in the Sarasota area.

Jeff Harrell told Patch that he was boating near Honeymoon Island with friends on Monday when they discussed the recent flamingo sightings in the area. He mentioned a Facebook post about a bird being seen on the island.

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His friend suggested that the pink bird must be on the north side of Honeymoon Island, on the Gulf side, in a more shallow area where there are no motors running, Harrell said.

As the wind picked up, they decided to park on that side of the island in hopes of spotting the flamingo for themselves.

They walked the beach and his sons spent some time fishing. Hours later, they found the dead bird on a sandbar close to shore.

“My guess is the bird probably was stressed and maybe crawled over there and passed away,” Harrell said. “It had to have just happened within no more than a few hours. There was nothing wrong with the bird and just two flies around it.”

Not sure what to do, they called the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.

“They told us, ‘We know these animals are stressed. It’s gonna happen and we’re not doing anything about it at this time,’” he said. “I thought that was kinda sad when you find a dead flamingo on Honeymoon Island and you’re not going to do anything about it. They’re stressed and there will probably be more fatalities, but wouldn’t you figure out how it happened and why?”

Patch has reached out to FWC to ask about the agency’s policies for reports of injured, ill or dead flamingos found on Florida’s West Coast.

Harrell called the FWC response to his call “shocking,” adding, “I guess we leave it and let nature take its course. It’s kind of sad.”

He hoped that there was something more the FWC and other organizations could do to help these displaced birds and reduce their stress.

“Maybe there’s something we can do? Maybe we can capture them and move them somewhere else so that they’re not stressed and dying,” he said. “We’re going to lose more of them instead of trying to keep them alive.”

Local organizations are warning onlookers to give the birds space if they see them at area beaches.

“Two flamingos have already come into rehab facilities and one we know has been killed,” the Raptor Center of Tampa Bay wrote in a Facebook post. “Please keep your distance from these birds and maybe we'll get lucky and they will stay in the area. Please give them room; they're getting spooked by photographers.”

The FWC also told onlookers to keep their distance, writing in a Facebook post, “Please do not travel to areas where recovery efforts are ongoing, don’t drive on flooded roads, and as always give the birds space. They have just flown through a hurricane and need more rest.”

Audubon Florida is hosting a free webinar, “The Pink Wave: Flamingos and Florida,” with flamingo expert Jerry Lorenz on Wednesday. He’ll discuss where the birds came from, why there aren’t more in Florida, and how Floridians can help them now and into the future. Register for the webinar here.

The organization is also asking that people share their flamingo sightings and photos by emailing jerry.lorenz@audubon.org.