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...
BEST-IN-SHOW Great egret (Ardea alba) bathing Terrie Jacobson Buford, GA Canon EOS R5, lens RF 100-500 F4.5-7.1 L IS This year's photo contest judge, Jackie Kramer, struggled with selecting the final winning images as there were so many excellent submissions! Hundreds of images were provided from around the country for...
JACKIE KRAMER! 2017 St. Augustine Alligator Farm photo contest winning image by Jackie Kramer Jackie's true passion is to encourage people to live their legacy, which she does primarily through her online group, Phlorography - Artistic Floral Photography, which consists of thousands of passionate floral photographers. Jackie has...
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...
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...
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...