Rookery at the St. Augustine Alligator Farm Zoological Park: Part 1

Before Q and I left for Florida, I researched possible birding sites online at the Great Florida Birding Trail. I decided that Q and I should try to visit Gatorland, as it boasted a large rookery in a section of its park. My mother mentioned this to a patient of hers who was a photographer and a birder. He said, “Gatorland is the second best rookery to visit in this part of the state. The best is in St. Augustine.”

So Q and I found ourselves driving up to St. Augustine to visit the rookery at the St. Augustine Alligator Farm Zoological Park.

A few days before we left for the gator farm, we went to their web site to buy tickets and noticed that there was a hotline number that provided updates about the rookery. Q called the number, and a week-old message began to play. Roseate spoonbills were nesting! Wood storks were arriving and pairing up! That was very exciting to me, because I had really hoped to see wood storks. Roseate spoonbills were even better; I hadn’t even considered we would get to see them.

The night before we left, Q and I went down to the lake to watch the Atlas V rocket launch. In the past, when the wind has been just right, we’ve been able to hear the take-off, although that didn’t happen this time. I wondered if the rocket would burn as brightly as the shuttle. No worries there!

Atlas V rocket launch from Cape Canaveral on March 12

The Atlas V goes up from Cape Canaveral, just as bright as the shuttle.

Atlas V rocket launch from Cape Canaveral on March 12

If you click on the pic and zoom in, you can see the two boosters, which look like small red triangles, falling from the rocket.

When Q and I got to the gator farm the next day, we eagerly followed the signs to the rookery. We ended up on a wooden boardwalk that stretched over a small stream. Gators lounged in the water and on the shores. Around the boardwalk were trees covered in great egrets, snowy egrets, wood storks, and roseate spoonbills.

I sought out the spoonbills first. Most of the birds were standing behind foliage or sleeping or lounging near their nests. The pink of their feathers was brilliant in the sunlight.

Roseate spoonbill (Platalea ajaja) at the rookery at the St. Augustine Alligator Farm in St. Augustine, FL

Roseate spoonbill (Platalea ajaja) at the rookery at the St. Augustine Alligator Farm in St. Augustine, FL

This spoonbill was working on a nest with a mate.

Roseate spoonbill (Platalea ajaja) works on building a nest at the rookery at the St. Augustine Alligator Farm in St. Augustine, FL

The great egrets were ready for mating; their lores were bright green. I joked to Q, “Hey, we came over a thousand miles to see a bird we could have seen at the UT Southwestern rookery!”

Great egret (Ardea alba) at the rookery at the St. Augustine Alligator Farm in St. Augustine, FL

We might be able to see the next bird down east of Corsicana, but we certainly wouldn’t be able to see it as closely as we could in St. Augustine.

Wood stork (Mycteria americana) gaping at the rookery at the St. Augustine Alligator Farm in St. Augustine, FL

Some younger-looking roseate spoonbills were at the rookery. Like flamingos, the vibrant pink color of the spoonbill’s plumage comes from the food they eat. More mature spoonbills have feathers that are colored a much deeper, brighter pink.

Roseate spoonbill (Platalea ajaja) investigates locations for a nest at the rookery at the St. Augustine Alligator Farm in St. Augustine, FL

Oh! I am so young and lonely! I wish I could find a mate!

Two roseate spoonbills (Platalea ajaja) investigate locations for a nest at the rookery at the St. Augustine Alligator Farm in St. Augustine, FL

HI! Will you be my mate?

Great egret (Ardea alba) at the rookery at the St. Augustine Alligator Farm in St. Augustine, FL

Now that pelican season is over, this great egret is vying to get on the cover of Wow! Waterbirds! magazine.

Not many of the wood storks seemed to have paired up. I saw only a few on nests, and a few more standing together. Most of the other storks were either hanging out by themselves or in small groups.

Wood stork (Mycteria americana) at the rookery at the St. Augustine Alligator Farm in St. Augustine, FL

The next wood stork stood on this tree with her beak agape for a few minutes. She wasn’t panting like I’ve seen hot egrets and black-crowned night herons do, and the gape didn’t seem directed toward any other bird. From what I’ve read, female wood storks are the sex that typically engages in this kind of multi-minute gaping.

Wood stork (Mycteria americana) gaping at the rookery at the St. Augustine Alligator Farm in St. Augustine, FL

The male great egrets were out gathering sticks to bring back to their mates. That was my favorite part of watching the birds at the UT Southwestern rookery last year.

Great egret (Ardea alba) at the rookery at the St. Augustine Alligator Farm in St. Augustine, FL

Male great egret (Ardea alba) gathers nesting material at the rookery at the St. Augustine Alligator Farm in St. Augustine, FL

Great egret (Ardea alba) at the rookery at the St. Augustine Alligator Farm in St. Augustine, FL

The birds gave zero shits about the people nearby. The males frequently flew over the boardwalk as they went in search of their nesting material.

Male great egret (Ardea alba) flies to a nest with nesting material at the rookery at the St. Augustine Alligator Farm in St. Augustine, FL

Coming through, coming through, gotta get this home to the missus.

Male great egret (Ardea alba) flies to a nest with nesting material at the rookery at the St. Augustine Alligator Farm in St. Augustine, FL

Maybe she’ll let me mount her if she really likes the stick.

The male that was flying landed on a nearby nest and presented his stick to his mate. I watched him leave, scout out sticks, and bring them back several times. Sometimes the female was still busy weaving a stick into the nest when her mate would reappear with more material.

Female great egret (Egretta thula) receives nesting material from her mate at the rookery at the St. Augustine Alligator Farm in St. Augustine, FLMale great egret (Egretta thula) presents nesting material to his mate at the nest at the rookery at the St. Augustine Alligator Farm in St. Augustine, FLFemale great egret (Egretta thula) receives nesting material from her mate at the rookery at the St. Augustine Alligator Farm in St. Augustine, FLMale great egret (Egretta thula) presents nesting material to his mate at the nest at the rookery at the St. Augustine Alligator Farm in St. Augustine, FL

After the male disappeared for several minutes on another stick-gathering expedition, I started looking around again. That’s when I realized that mature roseate spoonbills have orange tails. I’m not sure whether their tails are always orange or if it is only part of their breeding plumage.

Roseate spoonbill (Platalea ajaja) at the rookery at the St. Augustine Alligator Farm in St. Augustine, FL

Roseate spoonbill (Platalea ajaja) at the rookery at the St. Augustine Alligator Farm in St. Augustine, FL

Roseate spoonbill (Platalea ajaja) at the rookery at the St. Augustine Alligator Farm in St. Augustine, FL

Hey, I’m still sexy, even if I don’t have an orange tail yet!

I started watching a nearby snowy egret. The first time I heard a snowy at the UT Southwestern rookery, I had a difficult time describing what it sounded like: kind of a high-pitched, goat-like, gobbling, bleating sound. Watching them was much more fun than listening to them because they were so excitable and aggressive.

The snowy I was watching turned out to be a male, because he climbed up to a female who was hanging out on the same tree and mounted her.

Male snowy egret (Egretta thula) mounts a female for mating at the rookery at the St. Augustine Alligator Farm in St. Augustine, FL

Yay! Bird sex!

Snowy egrets (Egretta thula) mate with each other at the rookery at the St. Augustine Alligator Farm in St. Augustine, FL

Snowy egrets (Egretta thula) mate with each other at the rookery at the St. Augustine Alligator Farm in St. Augustine, FL

Snowy egrets (Egretta thula) mate with each other at the rookery at the St. Augustine Alligator Farm in St. Augustine, FL

Let me whisper sweet nothings into your ear, my darling.

Snowy egrets (Egretta thula) mate with each other at the rookery at the St. Augustine Alligator Farm in St. Augustine, FL

Snowy egrets (Egretta thula) mate with each other at the rookery at the St. Augustine Alligator Farm in St. Augustine, FL

His toes look like gnarled carrots.

What happened after they finished mating shocked me.

Two snowy egrets (Egretta thula) eye each other after mating at the rookery at the St. Augustine Alligator Farm in St. Augustine, FL

So, does this mean that I should start gathering sticks for you?

Male snowy egret (Egretta thula) threatens to attack the female he has just mated with at the rookery at the St. Augustine Alligator Farm in St. Augustine, FL

Or does it mean that you should GET THE HELL OUT OF HERE!

Male snowy egret (Egretta thula) threatens to attack the female he has just mated with at the rookery at the St. Augustine Alligator Farm in St. Augustine, FL

I mean it! GET THE FUCK OUT OF HERE, NOW!

Male snowy egret (Egretta thula) after driving off a female he had just mated with at the rookery at the St. Augustine Alligator Farm in St. Augustine, FL

Do not hate the player, human; hate the game.

The males of some bird species, such as pelicans, are initially antagonistic toward a potential mate, running off females who try to cozy up to them. Eventually the female’s persistence wears down the male’s resistance, and they pair up. Running off a potential mate, however, occurs well before the birds mate, and mating occurs after the male has accepted the female. A snowy running off a female directly after mating with her does not seem like normal behavior. I’ll have to look into it.

A different snowy egret was hanging out on a palmetto fan. Unlike the first snowy, this bird wasn’t getting any attention.

Snowy egret (Egretta thula) stands on a palmetto fan at the rookery at the St. Augustine Alligator Farm in St. Augustine, FL

I moved away from the snowies to look for other birds.

Roseate spoonbill (Platalea ajaja) at the rookery at the St. Augustine Alligator Farm in St. Augustine, FL

One of the wood storks was posing nicely in a tree. Then she bent forward.

Wood stork (Mycteria americana) at the rookery at the St. Augustine Alligator Farm in St. Augustine, FL

I love watching birds scratch. I think it looks so cute.

Wood stork (Mycteria americana) scratching an itch at the rookery at the St. Augustine Alligator Farm in St. Augustine, FL

Oooooh, if only my face were closer to my claw!

Wood stork (Mycteria americana) scratching an itch at the rookery at the St. Augustine Alligator Farm in St. Augustine, FL

Don’t worry, man, I got this: I’m a stork.

Another male great egret seemed to have found the perfect stick for his mate.

Male great egret (Ardea alba) gathers nesting material at the rookery at the St. Augustine Alligator Farm in St. Augustine, FL

Male great egret (Ardea alba) gathers nesting material at the rookery at the St. Augustine Alligator Farm in St. Augustine, FL

Male great egret (Ardea alba) gathers nesting material at the rookery at the St. Augustine Alligator Farm in St. Augustine, FL

And a different egret streaked over me on his way to his nest.

Great egret (Ardea alba) flies overhead at the rookery at the St. Augustine Alligator Farm in St. Augustine, FL

Here ends part 1 with a few more wood storks.

Wood stork (Mycteria americana) at the rookery at the St. Augustine Alligator Farm in St. Augustine, FL

I am vanquisher of the mighty itch!

Wood stork (Mycteria americana) at the rookery at the St. Augustine Alligator Farm in St. Augustine, FL

Wood stork (Mycteria americana) at the rookery at the St. Augustine Alligator Farm in St. Augustine, FL