Peaches The Flamingo Flies Away From Fort De Soto: Wildlife Rescue

PINELLAS COUNTY, FL — Peaches the flamingo, who flew into Pinellas County during Hurricane Idalia at the end of August, has left Fort De Soto Park, Shelley Spagnola-Vickery, founder and director of Birds in Helping Hands Wildlife Rescue, wrote in a Facebook post Wednesday.

The waterlogged flamingo was rescued off St. Pete Beach and, after being rehabilitated by the Seaside Seabird Sanctuary, was released at Fort De Soto in September with a tracker on its ankle.

Since the hurricane, flamingos have been seen up and down the west coast of Florida.
Peaches was last seen at Fort De Soto Sunday afternoon “but was scared off by the kite surfers, sadly,” Spagnola-Vickery wrote.

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Since his release, visitors have flocked to the park hoping to catch a glimpse of the flamingo, forcing local wildlife rescues to repeatedly ask people to give the bird — and other flamingos that relocated to Pinellas County during the storm — space.

Birds in Helping Hands even organized volunteers to keep an eye on Peaches and keep onlookers at a distance.

Though Peaches was tagged and is being tracked, rescuers aren’t disclosing his new location, Spagnola-Vickery wrote. “We hope he meets up with other flamingos.”

Just after the flamingo left Fort De Soto, Audubon Florida shared an update on him in a Facebook post.

“Dr. (Jerry) Lorenz and his collaborator, Dr. Frank Ridgley, are pleased to report that Peaches is still looking healthy, exhibiting normal preening, feeding and resting behaviors,” the organization wrote.

He was primarily staying around the park and data showed that he explored areas around the mouth of Tampa Bay at night.

The organization also shared concerns about “flamingo enthusiasts … approaching the flamingo too closely in order to get photographs.”

Observers are asked to keep 300 feet away if they see Peaches “to ensure they do not disrupt the bird’s natural foraging and preening behaviors,” the organization wrote. “After their Hurricane Idalia ordeal, all of these birds need to "refill their gas tanks" by eating and resting.”

Since the storm, flamingos have been seen as far away as Wisconsin, Audubon Florida wrote. The birds are expected to move south as temperatures drop.

“Whether they remain in Florida for the winter or return to the Yucatan or Cuba is one of the mysteries we hope Peaches’ satellite tracker will help us answer.”