It was a beautiful January day along the Texas Gulf Coast. I was in the midst of a photo shoot with my model Rosie, a lovely Roseate Spoonbill.She was quite the model. Beautiful, talented, and very accommodating.
She tilted her head this way
And then that way. One leg up.
Now it was time for a break. “Take five, Rosie”. She heads off to the water for some refreshment.

In the meantime, Mr. Spoonbill was minding his own business enjoying a mid morning snack when he just happened to glance up….. and there she was, in all her pink glory….. Rosie tilts her head in a coy demur manner all the while batting her eyes. “Like what you see, Big Boy?” Bill’s mouth opens wide….”hubba, hubba”….. he drools.
The vision of loveliness is irresistible. He starts in her direction.
He quickens the pace. While approaching Rosie, he yells, “Hey babe, whatz happenin?”
Rosie is not impressed by his crude behavior and mutters, “I’m outta here” and quickly flies off.Bill can’t figure out why she flew off and screams, “STEL…LAAAA”!
and goes for the chase
But Bill, having a rather short attention span, was quickly distracted by the beautiful blue coloring of a Tri-colored Heron.
As he lands near Hailey Heron, the tri-colored heron, Rosie is soon forgotten and a new quest ensues.
“Hey, there Babe. Is it true what they say….. once you go blue you never go back?”
“Say, What!”, says Hailey Heron in a frazzled tone. Just then Bill has the best idea ever….. why pick between pink or blue? ….. Ménage à Trois!
Here’s wishing you a very Happy Valentines Day with a happy ending ♥
Love You & Love You More Pillowcases: V-day Gift
Set of 20 Red LED Mini Valentine’s Day Heart Christmas Lights – White Wire
Amazing photo series and loved Rosie…Such great fun and a wonderful way to start the day.
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What a beautiful bird ‘Rosie’ is, great shots! That pink colour is just stunning:)
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I’m in love with that pink and can’t seem to get enough of those spoonbills. Thanks for stopping by and commenting 🙂
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How cute that was! My afternoon smile and I needed it! Hoping your Valentine’s Day was special! Thank You for the cute little story! Great photos!!
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Glad I could provide a much needed smile. We made it to Tucson today and back in connectivity after a few days at Patagonia State Park – a must! Loved our stay there 🙂
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Loved Hailey Heron….and then all that pink goodness!!! Perfect V day sentiments…happy belated! Ps…guess I’ll send our Happy Mardi Gras wishes!!!
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Hope you have a happy V day as well and have been getting in plenty of Mardi Gras celebrating. We made it to Tucson but not without photographing a bunch of birds along the way 🙂
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Men!
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😆
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Well done Ingrid! You had me chuckling all the way with your clever prose and photos that matched perfectly. Hope you and Al had a wonderful Valentine’s Day. 🙂
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Thank you LuAnn. Don’t you love it when the birds hold still long enough to be photographed? I’m also enjoying my FZ-200 more and more now that I have it figured out. Are you doing Alaska this summer?
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You have had far more subjects to practice on than I have with the FZ-200. Perhaps you can give me a lesson or two. 🙂 We are tentatively planning an Alaska trip for next summer. Have you and Al been or do you have any plans to venture that far in your RV?
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Yes, I have been doing lots of practicing AND deleting. No, I don’t think we’ll do an Alaska trip… certainly not with the fiver, but then again one never knows 😉
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I know what you mean about an Alaska trip with the 5er. Terry wouldn’t even consider it after doing some research.
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Rosie is beautiful!
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I totally agree and she was so accommodating!
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Haha, very cute! Your photos are wonderful — love seeing the birds in action, and the Roseates are the perfect Valentine’s bird. You definitely have a gift of telling a story with your photos, Ingrid. 🙂
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Thanks Laurel and I seem to have taken an interest more and more in birds. We saw the elegant Trogon while at Patagonia SP – very exciting. We just arrived in Tucson and getting caught up after being without connection 🙂
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Oh yay, you saw the trogon!! We also saw him at Patagonia — isn’t he a beauty? Can’t wait to see your photos. You’re doing a lot better at staying caught up with your posts than I am. 🙂
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You tell such amazing stories with your photography. Great job.
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Thank you Jerry. We’re already discussing our Texas excursion next winter 🙂
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What gorgeous pinks in those birds. Lovely pictures and narration. Happy Valentine’s Day to you!
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Thanks. Yes, that pink is amazingly beautiful. I can’t seem to get enough of those birds 🙂
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Ingrid, this was genius. Thanks for a special Valentine story.
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Thanks Judy. Hope you did something fun for Valentine’s Day 🙂
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What beautiful photos … and a very cute Valentine’s story. Love it. We’ve considered Texas during the winter, but aren’t sure how good the weather is for the duration. Tell me about where you are if you don’t mind.
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Currently we’re at Whitewater Draw NWR and heading to Patagonia SP AZ tomorrow. After that we’ll be around Ajo then up to Phoenix. We’ve enjoyed Texas the last couple of winters but the weather does have it’s iffy moments.
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Ha ha! You naughty bird 😉
These are wonderful, thanks for sharing!
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Hope you have a nice Valentine’s Day and are staying warm and cozy 🙂
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PERFECT birdbrained romance!…All you needed was the evil Snidely Whiplash Vulture to steal Rosie away….Great post, Ingrid!
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Oh dear, no vulture stealing my pink beauty, please. Thanks Donna and I know you’re very happy to be in FL and not IL enduring that winter 🙂
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Very cute, but the Pin It button obscured some of the text in each caption.
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Hmm, not sure why you’re seeing a Pin It button. I’ll check into it.
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Ingrid I love the hilarious narrative to go with your astounding bird shots! Happy V Day!
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Thanks Sue. Some of those photos screamed for a caption of sorts and thus the post was born 🙂
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Loved it!!
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Ingrid… may I add to the list of people who think your fowl photos are just the bomb… and of course your words are hilarious. Well done. Beautiful stuff. Thanks.
Gene
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Awe, thanks so much Gene. I appreciate the comment from such an accomplished photographer as yourself.
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Love, love… this one, Ingrid! 🙂 Amazing captures. Happy Valentines to you and your hubby!
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Thanks Amy and you’ll be seeing those same roseate spoonbills very soon. I think it’s mating season for them (Feb or Mar – not 100% sure)
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Too darn cute!!! Happy V Day!
Nina
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Thanks Nina and thanks for the share on Whitewater Draw NWR. We had a great stay 🙂
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Fantastic Valentine post, Ingrid! I was absolutely riveted, firstly by your title, then your story and pics. Thanks for the smiles. Happy Valentine’s Day. xx 🙂
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Thank you Silvia. Hope you and the hubby are having your own romantic day 🙂
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What a fun post! Gorgeous photos and a fun story.
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Thanks Beth and I’m sure you’ll be able to visit those same birds in Port Aransas at the Leonabelle Turnbell Birding Center. It’s a must see 🙂
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Absolutely gorgeous shots of one of my favourite birds, Ingrid!
Happy Valentine to you all ❤
Dina et al
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They are one of my faves as well. I can’t seem to get enough of that pink 🙂
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Fun post… great photos!
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Thanks JoAnne. Hope you’re having a great day amongst the sandhills.
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Great photos.
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Thank you 🙂
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I am glad things worked out for the Spoonbills, who knows what hideous creatures would be flying the skies if the heron would have won!
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Haha…. now that could make for one interesting bird 🙂
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Very fun and lively encounter, Ingrid (especially for spoonbills)…and your photos, as always, are incredible. Hoping you and your husband are enjoying a sweet and happy Valentines Day. 🙂
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Thank you Jet. I sure had fun photographing them and couldn’t believe how close the one allowed me to get. Wishing you and your partner a happy Valentines Day as well 🙂
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Stunning pictures. Cute story!
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Awe, thank you!
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Thanks for the smile, relief from the white up here, and the gorgeous shots. The pink color of those birds is just beautiful.
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I love the spoonbills pink coloring. I was going to say how much I love the snowy egrets as well, but sounds like you’ve had enough use of the word snow 😉 Stay warm!
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I really like the 5th shot down.
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Thank you Larry. I had a hard time picking a favorite photo. That spoonbill was very accommodating that morning 🙂
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HAHAHA…here is wishing you a Happy Valentines day….but NOT Ménage à Trois!
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Thanks Marsha. Hope you and Paul enjoy a romantic evening over a glass of wine and gorgeous desert sunset 🙂
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Your imagination running wild again! Too funny. Stunning pics of those characters in your soap opera. Happy Valentines Day to you and Al!
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And I haven’t even been drinking haha! Hope you and Mike have a lovely evening…. drinks and a beautiful desert sunset 🙂
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Absolutely amazing!!!! What a gift from your camera to us today!
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Awe, thank you so much for the kind comment 🙂
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Naughty guy. I love the color of those birds though, how cool are they?!
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I just love their pink coloring. It’s amazing how they can be spotted from a distance 🙂
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That was way too clever, Ingrid!! What an amazing photo story for Valentin’s Day. Loved it:) Gorgeous shots of those beautiful rose wings:)
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Thank you Pam. Have a great time in Bisbee. We’ll be passing you as we head to Patagonia SP 🙂
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50 Shades of Pink! hehehe Great shots.
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Love it….. now why didn’t I think of that 😉
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Love it! Thank you Ingrid for featuring one of my many fave big birds and taking great shots of them. Happy Valentines to you and Al.
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Wishing you and Steve a lovely day as well. We’ll probably return to TX next winter again so we can bird hunt more 😉 Need to still capture those pink beauties in flight.
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Great Photos !!
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Thank you 🙂
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Ingrid – you are so clever and sweet! Loved it!
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Thank you JoAnne. After our experience at Whitewater Draw NWR, I can see why you volunteer at Cibola 🙂
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Naughty birds! 🙂
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Indeed!
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Beautiful photos! Fun story and anytime a list makes me laugh is a happy day! Happy Valentines and thanks
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Thank you Karen and hope you are having a romantic day in northern NM 🙂
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Cute! Love the fabulous bird shots you’ve been getting!
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Thanks Lisa. You’re venturing into that bird country. Hope the weather in TX is more for you two than it was for us 🙂
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