Photo by Terrie Jacobson TYPICAL ROOKERY SCHEDULE Mid February – The first pair of Great egrets arrive around Valentine’s Day. More are close behind and begin nest building. Roseate spoonbills stagger their nests throughout the season, arriving as early as mid-January! Late February- Great egret pairs continue to...
Christmas Bird Count St. Augustine Alligator Farm rookery December 18, 2022 4:45-6:00 pm Much deserved credit given to the St. Johns County Audubon for performing this count annually, not only in our rookery, but throughout the county! The Christmas Bird Count was initially established in 1900 to encourage bird...
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...
BEST IN SHOW Roseate spoonbill Platalea ajaja Robert Van Mierop Palm Coast, FL Nikon D500, Nikon 200-500 f/5.6 lens The St. Augustine Alligator Farm Zoological Park was pleased to host its 28th Annual Photo Contest this year. Entries were received from all over the United States. Our Annual Photo Contest...
RICK SAMMON! Award-winning photographer Rick Sammon loves his day job. A tireless, prolific and inspirational image-maker, Rick, called by some “The Godfather of Photography,” is one of the most active photographers on the planet – dividing his time between creating images, leading photo workshops, and making...
The alligators and wading bird rookery place a lot of strain on the 2 acre Native Swamp & Rookery habitat. Annual maintenance work is done to ensure the environment is more than suitable for all the critters and guests residing within and passing through. Every...
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"...
Yellow-crowned night heron by Tim Rucci By Megan Mello, Intern Common roosters, the Yellow-crowned (Nyctanassa violacea) and the Black-crowned night herons (Nycticorax nycticorax) are at the St. Augustine Alligator Farm’s rookery. These species is commonly found around the rookery during the winter and early spring months, normally...
BEST-IN-SHOW Roseate spoonbill Platalea ajaja Robert Van Mierop Palm Coast, FL The St. Augustine Alligator Farm Zoological Park was pleased to host its 27th Annual Photo Contest in 2021 after missing out last year. With hundreds of photos submitted, award-winning Florida nature photographer Jack Rogers was challenged by the submission...