Painting Roseate Spoonbill birds

I have always loved these birds.  When we moved to Fl, we chose this area (Tampa Bay) randomly, without realizing this is where they nest the most

I live by the river, and, for many years, have been delighted to see these beautiful birds fly around my house.  I watch every year during spring how they gather small branches from trees to make their nests.
Right behind my house there is a little island (bird sanctuary)  where they take care of their nests and chicks.  I have taken so many many photos of these birds.  Very often I take a canoe ride to the sanctuary to see how the chicks are growing.  I always come back home so impressed with their beauty,  with hundreds of picks and ideas of how to capture them in my canvas.

Roseate Spoonbills are very colorful birds, shy and sensitive.  They feed by touch, with their spatulate bill, which shuts quickly when touched by prey.  They nest in the Florida Keys and the Tampa area.

I painted a triptic  (which make a three panel screen).  I wanted to make something special when painting these wonderful birds.

The painting appears in the American Art Collector magazine, may issue (2013).  I am very happy to have this painting published in such a great magazine.

I want to share some of the photos of this sanctuary showing the Roseate Spoonbills in their natural habitat.