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...
Photo by Jo-Ann Cittadino Article by Sylvia Van Boskirk, Rookery Intern Tricolored Herons are one of the more abundant and colorful residents of our Native Swamp and Rookery. Their nests tend to be about 13 feet off the ground, which is perfectly at eye level in the Swamp....
Photo by Catherine Calabria Article by Sylvia Van Boskirk, Rookery Intern Even though this has been an unusual year for humans, it was business as usual for the birds! Our rookery was alive with activity throughout the spring and summer as the birds returned to court and breed. By...
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...
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...