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...
JACK ROGERS 27th ANNUAL PHOTO CONTEST JUDGE! Jack Rogers is a prize-winning, widely published bird and nature photographer who has been photographing birds and other wildlife for decades. His images have appeared in magazines including Nature’s Best, Audubon, National Wildlife, Wildbird, Birder’s World, and Florida Wildlife, as...
A significant change was made to the boardwalk fenceline in order to improve safety conditions for park guests and the animals. This safety cabling, reminiscent of Jurassic Park's velociraptor containment, will aid further in the loss of equipment and other items overboard. It is very...
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...
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...
Best in Show Robert Van Mierop Palm Coast, FL Roseate spoonbill Platalea ajaja The 2018 Best in Show image was taken by Palm Coast photographer Robert Van Mierop. This awe-inducing photo of a Roseate spoonbill parent with chick was captured with a Nikon D7200, with a 200-500mm lens. Congratulations to this...
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...