The world of birds is the most enduring aspect of my life, and from my earliest days of going to the library and borrowing books about the birds of exotic lands, I have been fascinated by their variety, colour and form. One might advocate for numerous families as being the most appealing or unique, and there can be no definitive answer to such questions of course, but I think a case could be made for Spoonbills (family: Threskiornithidae). They certainly have made an impression on me, and when I first saw one "in the feather" so to speak, my sense of wonder was only magnified.
There are six species of Spoonbill in the world and it has been a crowning achievement to have seen them all. Miriam has been with me for five of the six, and the accounts below use her pictures and mine, even when they are not of the greatest quality. They do add authenticity, however.
I will cover them taxonomically, as currently classified in IOC World Bird names, Version 12.1 (20 January 2022).
Eurasian Spoonbill (Platalea leucorodia)
I have but three pictures of this species, none are great, and one is even quite dreadful! The best of the three, taken at La Réserve Ornithologique du Teich is shown above. Le Teich is situated in the Arcachon Basin along the southern Atlantic coast of France, a fabulous reserve I have only visited once, to which I would gladly return for several days given the chance.
