Goodbye March… Hello April!
As March turns into April, courtship activity amongst the alligators in the Breeding Marsh begins to increase, with the large bull gators staking out their territories with head slaps and defensive posturing. Several of the big boys already have battle scars from territorial skirmishes this year, as the false charges and bluffs turn into real “battle royales”. Big alligators have tremdous crushing power in their jaws, and they will sometimes damage each other during territorial disputes, although fatal encounters are fairly rare.
The American Crocodiles are still mating, and we should hopefully have our first nest from the Breeding Marsh pair sometime in April. I am sometimes asked if the gators and crocs get along well together, and the answer is… yes! Alligators and crocodiles only occur naturally together here in the state of Florida, in areas of the southern part of the state with low salinity levels. While the crocs can live in salt water, the alligators cannot survive in it for long as they lack the salt extracting capabilities of the crocs.
Bird activity continues to increase within the Rookery as even more Great Egrets arrive to setup nesting sites. We have several hundred Great Egrets within the Rookery, and they fly around constantly providing the photographers great flight shot opportunities. Courtship displays are still constant throughout the day, as are the occasional squabbles over territory.
Fortunately, we haven’t lost any more of the Great Egret chicks as of this post, and the cries of hungry chicks can be heard throughout the Sanctuary. There are several “open” nests of Great Egrets with eggs very close to the walkway, and several more are under construction. Egret chicks are now popping out everywhere, many along the eastern bank of the Rookery.
The Snowy Egrets are also steadily increasing in numbers, with lots of courtship displays and vocalizations. We have quite a few nests along the West section of the boardwalk north of the Observation Tower, one near the north entrance of the Rookery already with chicks. I expect quite a few nests to have more chicks hatching within the next few weeks.
The number of Cormorants are also increasing, with fledging and nest construction often occurring in the same tree. While the Cormorants nest up fairly high in the cypress, we do have a few nests in the tree next to the Observation Tower that you can almost look into from the 3rd level. With the increase of Cormorants within the Rookery, there also comes an increase in the “drop factor” when standing close to the trees along the boardwalk. I always tell our visitors to make sure of where they are standing… or they may receive an unexpected surprise from above!
Speaking of surprises from above, the Swallow-tailed Kites are still very active around the Rookery, making occasional forays fairly close to the boardwalk. Most of the time though, they are flying high and around the southern Swamp. Actually, I’ve got a theory about the Swallow-tailed Kites at Gatorland which I call Godwin’s Law, “No matter the focal length used, the Kites will always be just out of range.” I know some of you can definitely relate to what I’m saying!
The Tricolored Herons are everywhere within the Rookery, with quite a few nests created along the southern section of the boardwalk past the tower. We do have several open nests with eggs on the West side of the Rookery close to the North Gazebo. Courtship displays, nest building, and disputes are constant throughout the length of the boardwalk. As with the Egrets, there are lots of Tricolored Herons flying about, providing excellent opportunities for flight shots.
The Cattle Egrets are now arriving in greater numbers, and have begun nest building with the largest concentration of activity along the West side of the boardwalk north of the Observation Tower. Many of these new arrivals are in great color… there’s nothing more magical than the transformation of the Cattle Egret from a “Plain Jane” to an absolutely gorgeous and colorful bird during breeding season. While I know I may be biased, I do think Gatorland has some of the most beautiful Cattle Egrets found anywhere!
The Moorhens have at least one set of chicks along the very southern edge of the South lake close to the Wrestling Stadium. I counted a total of 5 chicks with both parents actively caring for them. I hope they are good parents and keep the babies quiet at night, as they are very close to the Barred Owl nest. For now though, they seem to be doing well, and also provide some great photo opportunities!
