Initially, I find it no surprise that this species has only been featured here once, since I don’t recall seeing them often at all – perhaps only at this very location, which is Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge in (wait for it) Merritt Island, Florida. This is a glossy ibis (Plegadis falcinellus,) and while I have seen and photographed plenty of its relative the white ibis, including out on the Carolina coast, the glossy ibis seemed scarce and very selective of their locale. But as I check further details, I find that they can be found throughout the state of Florida and indeed well up the East Coast, including and past North Carolina. So why haven’t I seen them again?
In a way, this might be a reflection of how territorial maps are used, since they never show the relative density of the birds in any location – just the fact that they’ve been spotted there, more routinely than a mere fluke. And then again, it may be a reflection of my own habits, never around during their migrations or perhaps not venturing often enough into the areas like stillwater wetlands, which describes practically the entirety of Merritt Island NWR.
I ponder things like this sometimes – more so as I’m writing about them. For instance, it occurs to me that if I specialized more, sticking entirely to avians or even further, like to birds of prey, I might have spent more time getting educated in their specifics, but having a wider range of interests and subject matter means I pick things up haphazardly; today, some habits of the glossy ibis, while last week it was what the purpose of those funky eyes is.
Or maybe I’m just too lazy to follow through. Could be that.