Photo by Jack Rogers Wood stork at Wakodahatchee Wetlands (because we love this species no matter their photo is taken!) The success of wading bird rookeries fluctuate annually due to water hydrology, human activity, and available feeding habitat. Ten species of wading birds now regularly nesting at...
Photo by Bill Chitty Article by Sylvia Van Boskirk, Rookery Intern As we enter the end of the 2020 wading bird nesting season, now is a good time to look back on the history of a certain species in our rookery. The Roseate Spoonbill, which is designated as...
BEST IN SHOW Thomas Stuart Komodo dragon Pennington, NJ Camera: Canon EOS-1D X Mk 2 DSLR, handheld, manual exposure Lens: Canon EF100-400 mm Mk 2 zoomed to 400 mm at f/5.7 This year's 26th Annual Photo Contest submissions were varied, dynamic, and magnificent! Karen Willes spent a tremendous amount of time...
Karen Willes Karen Willes is a retired musician who, since retirement, enjoys spending time photographing wildlife. Her dynamic images have been notably published by The Nature Conservancy, Florida Wildlife Federation, St. Marks National Wildlife Refuge, Operation Migration, International Crane Foundation, Audubon magazine, Camp Denali and The...
All photos by Karen Willes What happens when these chicks leave the nest and start fending for themselves? We're partnering with Audubon Florida to band Roseate spoonbills so their movements can be tracked. Knowing where these birds spend most of their time can be useful to...
Congratulations to all of our 21st Annual Photo contest winners! This year's judging duo, Dick and Pat Bartlett, were over-whelmed by the selection of breath taking photo submissions. Following are the top ten: BEST IN SHOW Roseate spoonbill Phillip Hardy Americus, GA Cuban crocodile William Miller Ocala, FL Cattle egrets Tara Tanaka Tallahassee, FL Great egret Horace...
Beginning in 2010, the zoo was finally graced with nesting Roseate spoonbills (Platalea ajaja). This hot pink bird with an unusual spoon-shaped bill provided a dynamic contrast in the rookery against the mostly white backdrop of Great egrets, Snowy egrets, and Wood storks. Staff was...