The Spoonbills Return
During the week of Feb 15 - 21, the Rookery has experienced quite a few changes, with the Roseatte Spoonbills now appearing consistently in the late afternoon. The flock of 5 younger Spoonbills mentioned in my last update start appearing around 4:00pm each day, and have started hanging out in the tops of some old Wood Stork nesting sites. Well, at least one Wood Stork didn’t think it was an “old” site, as you can see above. The next day after the Wood Stork encounter, the banded female Spoonbill designated M5 (aka “Rosie”) flew over the park, but did not roost within the Rookery. She is fairly easy to spot, besides her shiny red band, she has a tendency to hang one leg lower than the other in flight.
The day after the fly-over, Rosie and six other Spoonbills showed up to renew their inspection of the Wood Storks nesting sites from last year. In the picture above, Rosie is the adult bird on the far left, and you can really see her adult coloration as compared the the other younger birds. While they moved a few sticks around, there was no concerted effort at nest building… it should be about two more weeks before they really get started. It was good to see Rosie again, as she has been the sole nesting Spoonbill for the past 2 years, producing two beautiful youngsters in 2007. During that time, she has brought a few friends with her, and I do believe we will see at least two if not three nesting pairs this year.
The Limpkin also has been showing up consistently, and has been spotted several times in her nesting site from last year. She can normally be spotted early in the morning in the South Lake close to the early entry gate, as well as in the South section of the Rookery. Late in the evening, she can be found roosting in a Cypress tree along the northern boardwalk. As of yet, there has been no sign of her mate.
I’m often asked by photographers which is time is best for visiting the Rookery, early mornings or late afternoons. To be honest, they are both good, and both completely different. In the mornings, we sometimes have a mist hanging over the water in the Breeding Marsh giving the area a rather moody feel. As the first light appears, the alligators slowly rise to the surface appearing as ghostly apparitions in the mist.
As the sun burns off the mist and clouds, the area becomes more active with the alligators searching out sunning spots to recharge after a cool night. The light is fabulous at this time, although you are somewhat limited to shooting the western side of the Rookery as the rising sun is in the East.
The alligators are also becoming a bit more active in the mornings, with the first signs of territorial behavior happening. While the large male alligators in the Breeding Marsh maintain their respective territories year round, they are becoming less tolerant of intrusions by other bull gators. I witnessed several charges by large males protecting their territory in the morning hours.
The late afternoon is my favorite time in the Rookery, as the skies fill with birds returning from their feeding areas to roost above the alligator habitat. White Ibis by the hundreds flock in to the Rookery, providing many aerial photo opportunities.
Flocks of Little Blue Heron, Tricolored Herons, Snowy Egrets, and Cattle Egrets also fly into the Rookery in the hours before dusk. The light in the late afternoon allows for shooting on both sides of the Rookery, and viewing the East bank across the water is best at this time. Since many different species roost along the East bank, this gives a great opportunity for catching some of the darker birds in very good light, such as the Glossy Ibis below.
Another plus for the evening hours is the beautiful sunsets to be found. There’s just something magical about watching the birds fly in against a colorful Florida sunset!
