In recent weeks, the Hamptons have been reported as one of over a dozen locations, including Cape Cod, that have seen flamingos along the East and Gulf Coasts. The sightings come at peak season in the Hamptons.
According to Avian scientists, more than 100 flamingos were seen in at least 18 states from Florida to Wisconsin—even going as far as Kansas and Texas—as the large birds arrived with hurricane Idalia last August. However, what scientists could expect to happen next has been a question since the event transpired.
Ultimately, some of the birds lingered around in Florida throughout the winter, while others returned to the Yucatan peninsula. Now, the flamingos are surprising scientists as they have been seen wandering around with summer approaching.
Upon hearing about a rare sighting of a flamingo in East Hampton, Tim Healy traveled two hours from his home in Queens to catch a glimpse. As he and a friend turned toward the beach, Healy said, “This thing is flying in from the west dramatically, perfectly illuminated in the sunlight.”
The sighting was a celebration for Healy and a couple of dozen bird enthusiasts who had gathered to witness it. Healy added, “It was absolutely incredible.”
According to experts, Hurricane Idalia likely brought the flamingos over from the large colonies and conservation areas across the Yucatan peninsula. This theory had been confirmed by the discovery of flamingos with bands on them in Florida that were ultimately traced to the chicks in Yucatan.
However, according to Audubon Florida State Director of Research Jerry Lorenz, one of the banded birds seen in Florida was also spotted in Yucatan over the winter.
The birds’ known flight path includes travel between Mexico, Cuba, and South Florida. Although they frequently fly over Florida, no documented nesting has been reported in the state for several decades. Many others, including Lorenz, hope this changes with the giant birds’ latest arrival.
A flock as big as this ten was reported in May at Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge, and a flock of 12 was witnessed on southwest Florida’s Sanibel Island at the Ding Darling National Wildlife Refuge. Moreover, according to the online database for bird observations by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology in Audubon, ebird.org, a flock of 43 birds was reported in the Everglades.
Lorenz believes that some birds that spent the winter in Florida are beginning to explore now that temperatures are heating up. In recent weeks, a flock of five was seen near St. Simons Island, Georgia, in addition to the sightings in Cape Cod and a bird on Long Island. Additional sightings have been reported elsewhere, as well.
Science Coordinator with Mass Audubon at the Wellfleet Bay Wildlife Sanctuary on Cape Cod, Mark Faherty, said, “It could just be one of those birds that’s gone into wandering mode somehow.” If, in fact, the sightings are verified as wild birds, it would be the first ever wild flamingos in New York and Massachusetts. Commenting on this, Faherty said, “That Idalia event where all those flamingos were deposited all over lends credibility.”
Although they can’t say definitively, Faherty and Healy question whether the same bird seen on Cape Cod was the same young flamingo seen on Long Island. Faherty added, “It’s not that far between Long Island and Cape Cod, about 114 miles.”
As for Healey’s journey to Long Island on Saturday, he said it was “well worth it.” The birder added, “I’ve seen no shortage of incredible and unexpected birds. Just to get to see a flamingo on Long Island, it was absolutely spectacular.”
