I had a total of 7 days in Florida to visit many different birding hot spots. The first morning I headed to Stick Marsh to see the nesting Roseated Spoonbills. This time of year they are actively gathering sticks to place in the nest. As far as I can tell, it must be a competition among them to see who can gather the largest stick. They will often fight over these choice pieces. The day starts, however, with gathering in the shallow water areas to feed and preen. They are very social animals and are almost never alone.       The flattened bill is to help them feed on insects and crustaceans in the mud.                                                   In flight they can look rather ungainly.          I watched many battles over who would get possession of this huge stick.          This was the winner  Another time, the birds were fighting over a long piece of grass, but it was still attached. One bird tried to fly off with it, but his efforts were thwarted.            This piece of grass is long, but it should still be easier to place in the nest than a 12' long stick.               The pink coloration in these birds is due to their diet of crustaceans and insects.        A more practical stick gathering bird. It would be fun to see the chicks, but it did not happen on this trip. Another time!