Rookery at the St. Augustine Alligator Farm Zoological Park: Part 2

Although none of the nesting birds seemed affected by the people at the gator farm, one bird was especially nonchalant. She was a juvenile tricolored heron that was perched on a post only a couple of feet away from the main boardwalk.

Juvenile tricolored heron (Egretta tricolor) preens on a post at the rookery at the St. Augustine alligator farm in St. Augustine, FL

If I may speak frankly, you humans all look like ugly monsters.

The wood storks were starting to perk up and get a little more active. A few of them flew short distances to land and loaf on different trees.

Wood stork (Mycteria americana) flaps wings 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

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

The roseate spoonbills were still mostly hanging out.

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

Although I don’t like birds being obscured by branches, I really like the different patterns of shadows.

This next spoonbill was clamping down on branches and shaking them furiously. I’m not sure whether he was trying to gather nesting material or if he were shaking the branches as a mating display.

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

I’M. TOO SEXY FOR THIS BRANCH. TOO SEXY FOR THIS TREE. SO SEXY, YOU SEE.

Some egrets had their nests in a good-enough condition that the “on-duty” incubating bird could relax and lay on their eggs.

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

Other egrets were actively working on their nests, even though the females had already started to lay eggs.

A pair of mated great egrets (Ardea alba) work together on a nest at the rookery at the St. Augustine Alligator Farm in St. Augustine, FL

A pair of great egrets together at their nest at the rookery at the St. Augustine Alligator Farm in St. Augustine, FL

The male snowy egret was still perching on the tree where he had run off the female he mated with.

Male snowy egret (Egretta thula) at the rookery at the St. Augustine Alligator Farm in St. Augustine, FL

SNOWY IS TOO YOUNG TO THINK OF SETTLING DOWN AND BUILDING A NEST. SNOWY IS FUN-LOVING AND CAREFREE!

Another great egret had a beautiful green lore.

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

Great egret (Ardea alba) begins to shake itself in a rouse 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

HELLO, LADIES. MY ASTROLOGICAL SIGN IS THE SEXY BIRD. WHAT IS YOUR SIGN?

Other great egrets displayed, hung out on their nests, and looked for nesting material.

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

Great egret (Ardea alba) scratches an itch 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 bills of the wood storks were fascinating to see up close. I remember a project in a ceramics class in which we burnished our pieces while the clay was still moist and later fired the pieces in a pit fire. The colors and the way the light hits the stork’s beak remind me of that burnished clay after it was fired.

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

The juvenile tricolored heron fluttered down to the banks and stepped into the water to hunt. At one point she walked right by a gator. The gator didn’t care.

Juvenile tricolored heron (Egretta tricolor) hunts for fish at the rookery at the St. Augustine Alligator Farm in St. Augustine, FL

Juvenile tricolored heron (Egretta tricolor) hunts for fish at the rookery at the St. Augustine Alligator Farm in St. Augustine, FL

She was able to catch a few small fish, but I didn’t get any pics.

Juvenile tricolored heron (Egretta tricolor) hunts for fish at the rookery at the St. Augustine Alligator Farm in St. Augustine, FL

The spoonbill that had been shaking branches gave up.

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

I’M. TOO SLEEPY TO BE SEXY. POOR ME.

The other adult spoonbill that I’d been watching also went to sleep.

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

A different spoonbill was awake, although she was just lounging around while a pair of nearby snowy egrets were bleating and working on a nest.

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

Some of the wood storks started gaping again.

Wood stork (Mycteria americana) flaps wings 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

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

DO YOU LIKE MY HALLOWEEN COSTUME, HUMAN? I’M GOING AS A TREE.

At that point, Q and I had been at the rookery for about two hours, so we decided to go check out the other exhibits at the gator farm.

Alligator (alligator mississippiensis) lounging in water, covered in bird droppings, at the rookery at the St. Augustine Alligator Farm in St. Augustine, FL

This rookery gator cracked me up because of all the bird shit on its back. It must have been hanging out in that position for a long time.

They had an African exhibit that I really liked. There was a red ruffed lemur that was dozing.

Red ruffed lemur (Varecia rubra) sleeps at the St. Augustine Alligator Farm in St. Augustine, FL

There was also a pair of marabou storks. They were awesome! I loved their long, dangling throat sacs. One of the storks preened the other for a few minutes. The preener then briefly preened herself before wandering off to get a drink of water.

Marabou stork (Leptoptilos crumenifer) preens at the St. Augustine Alligator Farm in St. Augustine, FL

Profile of a marabou stork (Leptoptilos crumenifer) at the St. Augustine Alligator Farm in St. Augustine, FL

What a striking bird.

 

Marabou stork (Leptoptilos crumenifer) at the St. Augustine Alligator Farm in St. Augustine, FL

Marabou stork (Leptoptilos crumenifer) takes a sip of water at the St. Augustine Alligator Farm in St. Augustine, FL

There were also cape griffon vultures and a hooded vulture. I thought that the hooded vulture was especially beautiful.

Cape griffon vultures (Gyps coprotheres) at the St. Augustine Alligator Farm in St. Augustine, FL

Hooded vulture (Necrosyrtes monachus) at the St. Augustine Alligator Farm in St. Augustine, FL

We also walked by a couple of Galapagos tortoises.

Galapagos tortoise (Chelonoidis nigra) ambling around at the St. Augustine Alligator Farm in St. Augustine, FL

Galapagos tortoise (Chelonoidis nigra) ambling around at the St. Augustine Alligator Farm in St. Augustine, FL

There were lots of other birds in other exhibits, although I didn’t take pics of them. I’ve never been particularly interested in alligators or crocodiles, but I was amazed by the diversity of the species they had at the gator farm.

One post remains.