Quick update on the Roseatte Spoonbills… the breeding pair that nested last year are indeed back at Gatorland, unfortunately it looks like the nesting site they have chosen will not be in a very good location for viewing. Currently, they have a preliminary site chosen on the north side of the West Cove just north of the North Gazebo. It is behind several Great Egret nests and is fairly low and deep in the foliage, and will not be visible from the boardwalk in its present location. The adults however, have been moving around the Rookery and are now roosting within the Breeding Marsh, so plenty of photo opportunities are available. Here’s a shot of the banded female, M5, whom I’ve nicknamed “Rosie”.

Great Egret activity continues to build with daily courtship, nest building, and rearing behaviors. The early chicks are getting larger, and more are being hatched every day. One pair of Great Egrets on the west side of the boardwalk between the North Gazebo and the Observation Tower are the most beautiful Egrets I have ever seen, each with the most striking red eyes and green lores. Here’s a shot of one of the pair taken in the early morning sun on Saturday:

The Snowy Egrets continue to strut their stuff… and if you love Snowies like I do, now is a great time to come and view some fantastic courting behavior!

The first week of our new “Dawn to Dusk” Rookery access has been just great, and we certainly look forward to having a fantastic 2008 Birding Season at Gatorland.

This entry was posted on Sunday, March 16th, 2008 at 3:23 pm and is filed under Rookery Updates. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.