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St. Augustine Alligator Farm Zoological Park

This year was overflowing with Roseate spoonbill nests!  We love that they decided in 2010 to finally begin nesting in our rookery.  Their dynamic pink plumage is a welcome sight in the sea of egret white. MAX ADULT MAX NEST MAX CHICK Cattle egret 28 28 41 Great egret 174 106 167 Green heron 5 5 8 Little Blue heron 21 17 24 Roseate spoonbill 74 28 52 Snowy egret 143 92 197 Tricolored heron 113 85 151 Wood stork 112 68 170 TOTALS: 670 429 810    Photo by Kay Wells...

20 October, 2014

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...

16 October, 2014

The St. Augustine Alligator Farm is pleased to announce this year's photo contest judge selection. Though recent judges have been a single judge with a nature photography background, 2014 will be a team effort by renowned herpetologists Dick and Patti Bartlett! All photos below by...

11 May, 2014

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...

16 March, 2014

Photo by William Pearce After the banner rookery seasons of 2011 and 2012, with 818 and 704 nests respectfully, this year seemed so mellow and quiet.  With a maximum of 463 nests counted, the 2013 rookery season still exceeded the rookery's 400 nest average. MAX ADULT MAX NEST MAX CHICK Cattle egret 74 60 128 Great...

03 September, 2013

Congratulations to all the winners of our 20th Annual Photo Contest!  With over 560 images submitted, Maxis Gamez, this year's judge, had a daunting selection process ahead of him. This year's spectacular winning photographs will be on display at the St. Augustine Alligator Farm as well as here on our Rookery Blog. BEST...

16 August, 2013

  Photo by Robert O'Toole   The rookery is gearing up for chaos as we move into April! Roseate spoonbills began nesting early this year. Three nests have already fledged out and 4 more pairs are either incubating or have recently hatched chicks. The spoonbills are following the staggered nesting pattern of previous years. The...

05 April, 2013

Photo by Maxis Gamez The St. Augustine Alligator Farm is pleased to announce Maxis Gamez as our judge for the zoo's 20th Annual Photo Contest! Maxis Gamez is a self-taught professional nature photographer residing in Sarasota, Florida. He started photography as a hobby, but has now decided...

15 January, 2013

Photo by Ardith Bondi   The St. Augustine Alligator Farm is a proud participant of the Wood Stork Monitoring and Research Working Group.  This is directly from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's Virtual News Room:   Wood storks in the Southeastern United States no longer face imminent danger...

21 December, 2012