It’s Springtime at Gatorland as the chicks are really coming out all over the Rookery. It’s the time a lot of you have been waiting for… so don’t delay too long as it doesn’t take these babies very long to grow! Right now we have the following species with babies:
Snowy Egret (pictured above and below)

Great Egret (pictured below)

Tricolored Heron (pictured below)

Anhinga (pictured below)

And of course, we have everybody’s new favorite, our Baby Barred Owl!

The baby Barred Owl has been spending it’s days close to it’s nesting area, the past few days he has been sitting atop the south fence of the deer enclosure next to the Wrestling Stadium. At this point he has been out of the nest for about a week and a half, and does have some flight capability, although he is much better at climbing than flying. Baby Owls at this point in fledging are called “Branchers”, and they use their beak and talons to climb the trees and branches. Apart from an occasional foray into a show area, he has remained fairly close to the original nest, and will climb to the top of it at dusk. The parents may not always be seen, but at least one is never far away, and they do bring baby a snack such as the wading bird leg below. I have no idea what bird that leg belongs to, but my closest guess would be either a Moorhen or a Tricolored Heron. This is the second time the parents have brought in a bird leg to feed baby, they are definitely preying upon other birds in the Rookery. That must be why the baby Owl spends his days looking at the Turkeys in the Deer enclosure!

The Cattle Egrets are still coming in, and many are in great color. They have been filling in the north west section of the Rookery, and can be seen frequently flying over from the East bank with nesting material.

If you want to grab some great flight shots just postion yourself north of the northern rain hut and watch the action like in the photo below.

The Spoonbills are still active in the Rookery, and we do have one pair standing in a nest. Nope, she’s not sitting yet, but I do expect to have her on eggs within a week. We also have another pair of younger Spoonies that have been working on another nest just across from the first one, we may end up having two pair of Spoonbills nesting this year! In the meantime, there are plenty of opportunities to catch these beautiful birds moving around the Rookery.

I’ve been getting a lot of calls lately asking if the babies have started hatching yet. Actually, we have had chicks hatching for a month now, with the Great Egrets, Cormorants, and Anhingas all with youngsters in the nests. This week the Snowy Egrets have also started hatching, as you can see in the picture above. From this point on, we will be having lots of babies coming out all over the Rookery.

Many of the hatching nests are quite close to the boardwalk, so you won’t need binoculars or a long lens to see many of the chicks up-close and personal. While a big lens such as a 500mm is great for shooting the eastern bank (later in the day), it is sometimes too much for the nests along the boardwalk. I prefer using a 70-200mm for most of the boardwalk areas, and do suggest using a zoom lens as the focal lengths necessary can change rapidly with action all around.

Wednesday, the Barred Owls decided to show off their new baby, who does have limited flight capability. While I had always assumed the Owls were nesting in the dead palm tree behind the Wrestling Stadium, I could never confirm it until now… as it was impossible to see inside. As you can see, Junior is a big fluffy baby, and spent a good part of the day Wednesday hanging out in a low palm tree next to the nest while one of the parents stood guard in a higher palm. As we were exiting the park, I saw Junior back up in the top of the nesting tree, so he can move around on his own quite well. So far, just the one baby owl has been spotted, and chances are good he’ll come out and pose later in the day.

The Cattle Egrets have been arriving steadily, and are constantly flying about the Rookery carrying sticks and leafy twigs for nest building. Many are already sitting on eggs, although it will be at least another two weeks before we have any chicks from them. I know I’ve said it before, but the Cattle Egrets are in absolutely beautiful color, and have no problems posing for a picture or two.

The Tricolored Herons are also starting to pop out some chicks, although only a couple at this point. Those nests are a little hidden, but we do have some nice open nests with eggs that should be hatching soon. With the increase in Tricolors, the opportunities to catch these birds fishing has increased. They have the whole snatch and grab method down to a science, and if your lucky, you might even catch sight of the one who makes shadow puppets on his wing!

The Osprey have been active around the park, and will frequently visit the Breeding Marsh in search of a nice fat Tilapia. I did notice that a few times they carried the fish to a section of the southern Cypress Swamp off-property, where I believe they may have a nest. We do have several pairs of Osprey at Gatorland, so chances are very good you’ll see one around!

The White Ibis are still around, but in far fewer numbers than earlier in the year. While quite a few juveniles come in to roost in the early evening, we do have some adults in striking breeding colors… several with a rather pronounced swelling under the face known as a “wattle”.

Joining the park this week have been several Least Terns, and they can be found flittering about the lakes and Breeding Marsh diving for small fish. A difficult bird to shoot pictures of in flight, they seem to be always on the move, constantly twisting and turning in mid-air.

It pains me to say this, but time is running out for any hope of the Wood Storks nesting at Gatorland this year. There have been a few more hanging out in the Rookery, and while they make some attempts at pulling sticks, they have yet to make any type of nest. Not quite sure what happened to them this year, however, there are plenty of opportunities to observe the Woodies and get some nice pictures.

The Spoonbills have been working on a nest on the far North end of the Rookery, just above the clearing where we hold the Adventure Hour. It’s in a nice, thick tree… well, nice for them but not so nice to photograph. We have been having a few Spoonbills in that location, and they may be making another nest in the same tree. At this point, they are not actively sitting on any nest, but they are around the Rookery.

On Tuesday, April 14th Central Florida was rocked by very strong winds and rain, but despite the terrible weather it looks like all the birds made it through just fine. As luck would have it, there was no extended hours on Tuesday, and on Wednesday the weather was absolutely beautiful with a great sunset. Should be a great weekend!