A Valentines Day Weekend Update
The weather during the week was perfect, with blue skies and temperatures in the upper 70’s and low 80’s. The park has been quite busy with lots of folks taking advantage of Gatorland’s $9.99 Florida Resident special… which, by the way, ends February 28. Our new White Gator Swamp exhibit opened officially on Valentines Day, and it really looks fantastic! We have four of the largest White Gators on the planet, and they are quite a sight to see. Cajun folklore has it that if you stare into the blue eyes of the white gator it will bring you good fortune. I can’t think of anyone who couldn’t use a little good fortune in their life… so come on over and take a stare into those baby blues! No, it won’t work from a picture… so here’s a sneak peek of my favorite white gator!
On Valentines Day, the morning started off with lots of fog and cloud cover, which made for some rather interesting opportunities for the gathered photographers. The alligators looked almost black and white as they laid in the water waiting for a bit of sun to come and warm their massive bodies. If you look at the picture below, you’ll notice the ridges along the alligators back. These ridges are made up of bony plates called osteoderms, and are also known as scutes. Besides providing a protective body armor for the reptile, these bony plates also serve as a primitive solar collector. Alligators are a lot like a battery… during the evening they are quite active and expend a good deal of energy. Being an ectothermic (cold-blooded) reptile, they receive their internal body temperature from the environment. Cooler evenings means a lowering of their body temperature, so when daylight comes alligators have one thing in mind… warming up! During the day they will either climb out onto the shore, or float in the water with their upper bodies exposed gathering the suns energy.
Great Egret activity continues to increase with almost constant nest building throughout the Rookery, and as of this weekend, we now have three Egret nests with chicks. The Snowy Egrets have also increased in numbers, and are beginning their courtship cycle. Several are already in breeding colors, and this weekend I noticed a few beginning to pair up and scout for nesting locations. While the Wood Storks are plentiful in numbers, they still have not made a concentrated effort at nesting, only making occasional trips to their prospective nesting sites and moving sticks about.
Spoonbill numbers are also increasing, on Friday and Sunday we had a small flock of 5 Spoonies show up shortly before dusk to roost in the Pine Trees at the far North section of the Rookery. There were no leg bands visible, and at least one of the 5 showed some early signs of breeding color. On Saturday we only had one Spoonbill show up, although he did like to pose for everyone on a dead pine tree that has become a favored hang out spot.
The pair of Barred Owls have still been appearing nightly at the South End of the Rookery close to the Emu enclosure. They are definitely in courtship, and chatter like a pair of monkeys up in the trees. While it’s not the best picture, I was able to get a quick shot of one up in the pines.
Mike Godwin
Gatorland