American flamingos at the Yucatan, Feb 2015 (photo from Wikimedia Commons)

14 November 2025

In late August 2023 a tropical depression spent days drifting off the coast of Mexico’s Yucatán Peninsula while it dropped heavy rain. When it began to move, it rapidly intensified into Hurricane Idalia and made landfall in Florida.

Map of Hurricane Idalia’s path, August-Sept 2023 from Wikimedia Commons

While the future Hurricane Idalia drifted, it was parked over the world’s largest breeding colony of American flamingos (Phoenicopterus ruber) at Río Lagartos Biosphere Reserve. Many of them flew away to avoid the storm and began popping up all over the eastern U.S., especially in Florida.

By 13 September 2023 more than a dozen still remained at Pea Island National Wildlife Refuge in North Carolina where Michael Fogleman filmed them from a kayak. Their origin was confirmed because one of them was banded at the Yucatán breeding colony. I counted 13 in the video, four pink adults and eight gray juveniles.

Enjoy this peaceful look back at a quiet time with flamingos in the Outer Banks.

See more of Michael Fogleman’s work on YouTube.