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...
Our rookery peak nest count varies between 400-800 nests annually. Wading bird reproduction is dependent on habitat, water table depth, and prey availability. The chart below covers the last decade, developed by our hard-working rookery crew data collectors! 2021 turned out to be an "average"...
Little blue heron pair Photo by Susan Jarrett This year's nesting season was a bit more out-of-the-ordinary. Though we always joke around that we are not privy to their schedules, a typical pattern has emerged over the years allowing us to guesstimate fairly accurately about who...
JOEL SARTORE! Joel Sartore is a photographer, speaker, author, teacher, conservationist, National Geographic Fellow, and a regular contributor to National Geographic Magazine. His hallmarks are a sense of humor and a Midwestern work ethic. Joel specializes in documenting endangered species and landscapes in order to show a...
2017 was the busiest nesting season the swamp has seen since 2011 resulting in a max count of 706 nests! Many factors came into play, but in particular the end to the drought and the swamp rejuvenation efforts made the biggest difference. Hurricane Matthew arrived in October 2016...
Congratulations to this year's photo contest winners! The 2017 Best in Show image was taken by St. Augustine photographer Charles Wesley. This stunning photo of a preening Roseate spoonbill was captured with a Canon 7D Mk II camera, Canon EF 100-400 mm f/4.5-5.6 IS II lens...
Photo by Charles Wesley Another successful rookery season has come to a close! The significant maintenance changes that occurred over the winter provided more nesting opportunities for the smaller wading bird species. This resulted in an increase of nests across the board over the 2015 nesting season....
By John Brueggen, Director and Gen Anderson, General Curator For many years, visitors to the St. Augustine Alligator Farm have enjoyed the amazing phenomenon of native Florida wading birds choosing our alligator swamp boardwalk area as a roosting and nesting site. The protection afforded them against tree...
Best in Show Lynn Long Beaufort, SC Congratulations to this year's photo contest winners! The award-winning photojournalist Daron Dean, Manager of Photography for the St. Augustine Record, had the difficult task of selecting one Best in Show image plus nine additional winning images. Doug Heimstead Vadnais, MN John Zeiss Sarasota, FL Richard Curtin Anniston,...