Reason You’re Seeing Flamingos At Tampa Area Beaches
Reason you’re seeing flamingos at Tampa area beaches. If you went to the beach over the long holiday weekend, or maybe out in the boat, you may have seen flamingos. First, this is a vary rare occurrence here in the Tampa Bay area. Flamingos are normally seen in the Caribbean or South Florida, but not in Tampa.
However, over the holiday weekend, Launa was out on her boat and saw flamingos. As she pulled up to the sandbar on Bunces Pass which is near Ft. DeSoto and Tierra Verde, they noticed a bunch of people gathered together. At this time, someone on another boat at the sandbar explained that they were looking at flamingos. Along with a lot of people who have lived here for a long time, Launa has been here 27 years and has never seen a flamingo in the area.
Reason you’re seeing flamingos at Tampa area beaches
Most likely, Hurricane Idalia is the reason they are here, they were carried by the winds. In addition to this, the winds may have taken them a little bit more north than maybe they intended to go. Question is, will they stay?
According to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, flamingos were native to Florida but disappeared from the state around the turn of the 20th century. You will see about 95% of flamingos in the Everglades, Biscayne Bay, and the Florida Keys. FWC treats flamingos as native species protected under the Federal Migratory Bird Treaty Act.
In addition to being called the American Flamingo, they are also known as the Caribbean flamingo and stand around 5 feet tall. In addition, the reason why they are pink is due to the food they eat, mostly shrimp. Furthermore, the pink birds also have black feathers at the edge of their wings, webbed feet for wading in shallow water and a distinctive black tip on their bills.
Launa said they were so fun to watch, so many people were out with big lens cameras. A total of 4 flamingos were enjoying the water and food supply on Bunces pass. Above all, the flamingos did not seem scared of the onlookers. Only thing they had to encounter was a random dog that would run up to all the birds and cause them to fly into the air.
It is best not to bother the flamingos and keep a safe distance if you see them at the beach. We would love for them to stick around.
Tampa Bay Beach In The Top 5 Of Best Beaches In The U.S.
A list of the best beaches in the U.S. has come out and there is a Tampa Bay beach in the Top 5. This comes from Dr. Beach, who picks the best beaches in the country. Dr. Beach’s real name is Stephen Leatherman. He is a professor in the Department of Earth & Environment at Florida International University. This is the 33rd year he’s rated the best of America’s 650 public beaches.
So, how does Dr. Beach come up with his list? He ranks the beaches based on 50 criteria. There is a focus on safety and cleanliness, whether lifeguards are present, level of development, and crowding. He also gives bonus points for beaches that ban smoking.
Since Dr. Beach lives in Florida he knows there are many great beaches in our beautiful state. Only two beaches in Florida made the Top 10 and both of them are in the Top 5. One Florida beach is the #1 overall beach and that is St. George Island in the Florida panhandle. The other Florida beach is right here in the Tampa Bay area and that is Caladesi Island State Park in Dunedin/Clearwater. Caladesi comes in at #4 on the list.
Below is the list of Top 10 best beaches in the U.S.
St. George Island State Park, Florida Panhandle
Located just south of Apalachicola in the Florida panhandle. Dr. Beach says that this is the #1 beach in the U.S.
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Duke Kahanamoku Beach, Oahu, Hawaii
This beach is located on west end of Waikiki Beach on the island of Oahu. Diamondhead volcano is also near this beach.
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Caladesi Island State Park, Dunedin/Clearwater, Florida
Tampa Bay’s very own Caladesi is the #4 beach in the U.S. Dr. Beach says about the beach, “The white beach is composed of crystalline quartz sand which is soft and cushy at the water’s edge, inviting one to take a dip in the sparkling clear waters.”
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Lighthouse Beach, Buxton, Outer Banks of North Carolina
Located on the Outer Banks of North Carolina on Hatteras Island. Lighthouse Beach comes in at #5.
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Coronado Beach, San Diego
Coronado Beach comes in at #6. The beach is almost 2 miles long It has United States’ Naval Base beaches on both sides of it.
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Wailea Beach, Maui, Hawaii
Wailea means “the water of Lea”, who is the goddess of canoe makers. The water is clear, so you will see people snorkeling ion the waters.
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Beachwalker Park, Kiawah Island, South Carolina
Located southwest of of Charleston, South Carolina. Beachwalker Park comes in at #8 on Dr. Beach’s list. I hope it is called Beachwalker because a lot of people love to walk the beach.
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Poipu Beach, Kauai, Hawaii
Located on the southern end of the Island of Kauai in Hawaii. There are underwater sea caverns and coral reefs for snorkeling. The sand is ideal for sunbathing as well.
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Coast Guard Beach, Cape Cod, Massachusetts
Located on the eastern edge of Cape Cod. Comes in #10 on the list.
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