Howdy Folks!

Just a reminder that the deadline for entries into the Gatorland 2009 Photo Contest is Monday, November 2, 2009. Please see the Photo Contest pages for more information about the contest rules and regulations. Don’t forget, all Annual Photo Pass Holders get two entries for free!

We would like to thank all of you that have already sent in their photos, and will be posting the entries into our photo gallery pages soon!

Mike Godwin
Gatorland

The ” Dawn to Dusk” extended hours program for the Gatorland Rookery is now over for this year. We would like to thank all of you that participated in the 2009 Gatorland Birding & Photo Pass program, and we look forward to having you out next year for another great Birding Season. While the extended hours may be over for 2009, the Rookery is always available during normal business hours (currently 9:00am - 6:00pm) and there are still quite a few birds and babies within the Gatorland Rookery. Don’t forget about our 2009 Photo Contest… there is plenty of time left to go through this years photos or come out and take some more! Deadline for all entries is Monday November 2, 2009.

In 2010 we anticipate starting the “Dawn to Dusk” program in February and ending late June, stay tuned for more details!

Mike Godwin
Gatorland

Howdy Folks!

There is still a lot of activity within the Gatorland Rookery, with fledging birds everywhere and some still sitting on eggs. A few nests are actually still under construction, so we will have activity for quite some time. The major players are Great Egrets, Snowy Egrets, Tricolored Herons, Little Blue Herons, Cattle Egrets, and Anhingas, all still sitting on nests. Of course, there are lots of other birds to photograph, like Osprey, Ibis, Woodpeckers, Woodstorks and many more.

Extended hours for the Rookery officially ended June 28, however, we will be offering a reduced access plan for July, with early access at 7:30am on Friday, Saturday, and Sundays. Late access (until 8:00pm) wll be on Friday and Saturdays only through July.

There are lots of great photo opportunities to still be had at Gatorland this year, and with the new Gatorland Photo Contest in full swing we want to give everyone a chance to enjoy the wonderful display of nature still going on. So if you want to brave the warmer temps come on out and have some fun… there are still lots of opportunities available for some great birding!

It’s summer in Florida, which means the temperatures are hot, the air is humid, and the rains come almost daily. But, for those that wish to brave the elements, there are still plenty of birds to see within the Gatorland Rookery. The Little Blue Herons (such as the one pictured above) have been increasing in numbers, with many new nests being constructed along the southern end of the Rookery. The Great Egrets are also building a few new nests, with two new nests under construction directly across from the North Gazebo on the East bank. Several more Great Egrets have nests underway along the Western edge of the boardwalk north of the Observation Tower. A pair of Red-bellied Woodpeckers have also taken up residence high atop a dead palm tree next to the wheelchair ramp at the Observation Tower. The Woodpeckers can be seen throughout the day and have occupied the lower hole as you can see in the photo below.

While there is still some new nest building happening within the Rookery, most of the activity at this time is fledging, with many different species of birds training their youngsters to fly or hop around the branches. Flights of a parent bird followed by its offspring are fairly constant throughout the Rookery, as well as feeding time for those big babies not quite ready to leave the nest.

Of course, we still have lots of baby birds, especially Cattle Egrets, and while the vegetation has grown up around the nests, there are still opportunities to get a fairly clear shot of nesting behaviors such as the frequent feeding of the chicks. It’s amazing to see the smorgasborg of items the parents bring in for their young, and looking at the picture below, it makes me thankful I wasn’t born as a Cattle Egret!

During a recent Night Shine tour I ran across Baby, the young Barred Owl that was born at Gatorland. It followed me around the park; and, after the tour, I was able to spend some time with the youngster who
flew over to its old nesting area by the Wrestling Stadium. Baby has lost its downy feathers, and is fast becoming a beautiful young owl. I was able to get one fairly clear picture of Baby, (it’s really difficult to manually focus on a dark bird at night with no lights) which you can see below.

Extended hours for the Rookery are scheduled to end on June 28, however, as we still have a fair amount of activity and new nests being made, Gatorland will be offering a scaled back version of extended hours for July. During July we will keep the Rookery open early and late on Friday and Saturday, with early entry only available on Sunday. With the announcement of our new 2009 Photo Contest, this will give some of you more chances to grab some great pictures within the Rookery. Deadline for all entries will be November 2, 2009 and you can learn more about the contest by clicking on the Photo Contest tab above. Good Luck, and Happy Birding!

May is a great time to come and visit the Gatorland Rookery as we have all sizes and shapes of baby birds everywhere, from fledging birds to nests still being constructed… there is lots of activity everywhere! We do have a lot of nests very close to the boardwalk, so you won’t need a big fancy lens or camera to get a picture like the one of the Great Egrets feeding above!!!

Many of the early nesters have already fledged or have abandoned the nests and are “branch hopping” like the Tricolored Heron juvenile above. As soon as a nest is abandoned, the other birds will either take it over or steal the sticks to construct their own. Sometimes, they won’t even wait for a nest to be abandoned, and will occassionally push out unguarded chicks and take over the nest!

The Green Heron chicks have finally started to emerge from the Papyrus reeds located at the South Lake area next to the Early Entry Gate. The Green Herons are rather reclusive, so you may need to hang out a bit and wait for them to appear. They are not as close as many of the nests along the Rookery boardwalk, I would suggest a 300mm lens for the best photo opps.

The Osprey have been quite active lately fishing within the Rookery. It’s not an easy task, not only do they have to dive into alligator infested water, they have to contend with the constant harrasment from the Grackles who constantly strafe them during their fly-overs. However, despite the challenges presented by the Gators and Grackles, they do a superb job of fishing, and as you can see from the shot above, sometimes they are doubly rewarded!

The Baby Barred Owl has left the vicinity of the nest, and is now a fully fledged young owl. The picture above is the last one I was able to take of it, sitting upon the Macaw perch which was one of his favorite hangouts. I don’t see “Baby” anymore during the day, but I did see the little bugger a few nights back during a Night Shine tour. I can tell you the youngster is doing great, and the parents have done a fine job raising their baby. It was another great “first” for the Gatorland Rookery, and does help alleviate a little disapointment in the Spoonbill and Wood Stork nesting, or should I say… lack of nesting this year.

Unfortunately it looks like we will not have any nesting Spoonbills or Wood Storks this year, as the last pair of Spoonies have abandoned their nest and the Wood Storks never really got started. The East bank of the Rookery doesn’t quite seem the same without them, and I don’t have an answer as to why, after several years of successful nesting, they suddenly stopped. But, there is always next year, and we do have Wood Storks and Spoonies around, just not sitting on nests!

Just a reminder to everyone that the Rookery is only open for extended hours every Wednesday through Sunday, with early entry at 7:30am and dusk access until 8:00pm. Early entry is located at the far south end of the park, which is also where we exit at dusk. The Rookery will not be open for extended hours on Memorial Day, but will be open during normal park hours. Park hours will change beginning May 23 from a 5:00pm to a 6:00pm closing time. So come on over and have some fun in the Rookery!

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!

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!

News Flash from the Rookery… it looks like the Swallow-tailed Kites are back, as the first one of the 2009 season was spotted Wednesday, March 18 flying along the eastern side of the Rookery towards the South Cypress Swamp. Last year we had a pair of these kites that I believe had a nest in the South Swamp, and they would fly around and above the Rookery, normally too far away for me to get a really good picture. For the photographers… you’ll need at least a 400mm to get a good shot, and bigger is better in this case. The Kite seen Wednesday was alone, and flew around the Jungle Crocs area of the East Rookery for about 15 minutes before heading back to the South Swamp. While my 70-200mm lens can handle most of the Rookery, it doesn’t quite have the reach for the Kites… but here’s a shot of the Swallow-tailed Kite from Wednesday:

The Tricolored Herons arrived last week, and are slowly beginning to take over the Rookery. Many are making nests along the boardwalk south of the Observation Tower, including several around the South Gazebo. Several nests already have eggs, so we should have Tricolored chicks in about 3 weeks. You can expect lots of stick gathering and courtship activity for the next several weeks.

The Little Blue Herons have also started to arrive and have just begun nest building, with a few pair around the South Gazebo. The Limpkin female has finally had her mate show up, and they have been spending more time in their nest from last year. They arrive early in the morning, and you can definitely hear them when they approach… there’s no sound quite like the Limpkins! The Snowy Egrets are still courting and nest building, but the action for them has slowed down with many already nesting. The Great Egrets are also still courting and nest building, and new chicks are being born. Almost all of the original nests with Great Egret chicks are now gone or replaced, including the first Egret nest hatchling of 2009. Exactly what has happened to them is still a mystery, and while there has been one report of a Great Blue Heron taking a chick this year, I find it hard to believe they have eaten them all! The oldest Egret chick in the Rookery disappeared on Wednesday, March 18 sometime in the afternoon. I took the picture below of the nest Wednesday morning, but by the evening time the nest looked to be inhabited with a new pair of Egrets, as they were doing a good bit of courting.

As you can see, this was no small chick, and the parents were very attentive, so whether he was eaten by something or perhaps pushed out of the nest by invading Egrets we may never know… but something has been happening to a few more nests than usual this year. Nature can be definitely unpredictable, and unusual things occur sometimes when you least expect it. A good example are the White Ibis, we had been having hundreds roost within the Rookery, although on Saturday evening the numbers dropped considerably. During the Backyard Bird Count in February, I counted 730 White Ibis in the park, not including all of the birds arriving past 6:00pm. On March 14, we had less than a hundred or so show up… which just happened to be the same day we had a special tour for Orange Audubon members. It’s not unusual for the Ibis numbers to decline this time of year, as they begin moving to their nesting areas (they have never nested within the Rookery), but it is interesting how they just seem to stop coming in to roost all at once.

The Wood Storks have also been acting a bit strange this year, with their numbers down substantially from the same period last year. In January, I counted over 20 Wood Storks in the Rookery, and they were acting like they were scoping out nesting areas. However, for the past month only a half dozen or so Woodies have been in the Rookery, including this young Wood Stork hanging out in an old nest area from last year. Not quite sure where they went… but hopefully they’ll return and start nesting soon. At this point, we have no active Wood Stork nests within the Rookery.

One of the Barred Owls came out late Wednesday afternoon in good light, sitting up in a favorite Pine tree. They can usually be found just before dusk, hanging out around the Emu enclosure at the far South end of the park. The Owls spend the daylight hours inside of a dead Palm behind the Wrestling Stadium.

Despite some rather unusual things so far, the Rookery is active with lots of birds of different species nesting. There are still nests with Great Egret chicks, and within the next few weeks we’ll have Anhinga, Snowy and Tricolored babies. The Cattle Egrets should also be arriving shortly, as I’ve noticed roosting numbers are beginning to increase. I haven’t seen any with really good color yet, but it shouldn’t be too much longer before they become vibrant.

It’s been a little while since my last post, so I thought I would take some time this beautiful Saturday morning and give an update “live from the Rookery”. We’ve had several developments the past few weeks worth noting, so we’ll kick things off with the Green Herons. As you can see in the picture above, the Green Herons are building nests within the floating Papyrus islands located in the South lake section. The shot above was taken right behind the temporary ticket booths where we do the early morning entry.

In the early morning the Green Herons have been flying from the Papyrus reeds over to the Elderberry and Cypress trees to grab a stick, and then fly back to the nest deep within the Papyrus. The best light starts around 9:15am, and I have set out a nice picnic table across from the nest for folks to sit down and watch the birds fly while you have a morning coffee.

It does take a bit of patience as you will have to wait for the birds, unlike within the Rookery where there is action seemingly wherever you look. I’ve counted about 8 Green Herons throughout the South Lake section, with one pair making a nest in the Papyrus closest to the old ticket booths. They have been doing this routine every morning so far… but no telling how long the flights with sticks will last.

The Grackles are also in nesting mode, and have begun making nests all over the park. The females can be seen carrying long streamers of nest material, and are becoming quite protective of their nesting sites. In the photo above, a female Grackle is attacking an alligator’s tail that happened to be passing by too close to her nest. Not that the alligator cared, or perhaps even noticed the little bird dive bombing it! The males have begun chasing the Ospreys and Hawks, normally calling for backup help from other Grackles to handle the Raptors. The females will chase almost anything that comes too close to their nests, besides alligators, I’ve seen them chase away Tricolored Herons and Great Egrets trying to nest in the same area. They are totally fearless and tough little birds!

It’s really amazing to see a small bird like the Grackle take on a Raptor like the Red-shouldered Hawk above, especially since they sometimes fall prey to the very birds they chase. In the morning, the Hawks have been hanging around the perimeter of the Rookery, although the Grackles never allow them to hang around for too long. I have never seen any of the Hawks take a bird within the Rookery, but we have had a few nests of Great Egret chicks go missing. I have had one report (Thanks Wendy!) of a Great Blue Heron recently taking an Egret chick. It’s a tough life in the Rookery, and it’s certainly no “G” rated Disney Movie for the nesting birds, having to contend with Hawks, Owls, Great Blue and Night Herons, Raccoons, Alligators and even members of their own species. When nesting sites become a premium, many times birds of the same species will try and take over a nest kicking out the eggs or chicks of the other birds.

The Tilapia are also nesting, with beds being formed all over the park. You can get a great view of the Tilapia bedding at the same place as the Green Heron nest, within the South Lake right behind the old ticket booths. So… while you’re waiting for the Green Herons, you can check out the fish as well!

Within the Rookery, the male American Crocodile has also been checking out the Tilapia. He was a wild croc that was caught in Miami in April 2008 and brought to Gatorland, so he’s used to fending for himself. As you can see in the picture above, he’s quite adept at catching fish.

The Spoonbills have been active within the Rookery during the morning and late afternoon hours, with 7 Spoonies checking out different areas for what will hopefully be nesting sites. We have what appear to be 3 adults, one 3 year old, and 3 younger birds. I anticipate they will have a nest within the next couple of weeks… hopefully two nests!