Saturday, May 30, 2015

Orlando, FL ~ Gatorland

Cattle Egret Breeding Plumage
Our last stop on our trip was Gatorland. This is a wild alligator breeding marsh with a bird sanctuary that is the largest and most easily accessible wild wading bird rookery in east Central Florida.  I had heard many great things about the rookery at Gatorland where egrets, herons, anhingas, wood storks and cormorants have nests.  The birds display in the spring, build nests, lay eggs and bring up their babies in the rookery.  The great part about this is that Gatorland has built a boardwalk across from the nesting areas which allows you to look into the nests and take pictures,  It was an awesome place where we saw baby birds of many ages.  I would love to come in March when the birds are displaying and building nests.
Double-crested Cormorant on nest

Great Egret chicks

Tricolored Heron  in breeding plumage

Tricolored Heron chick

Wood Stork and chicks

Anhinga feeding chick



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