St. Augustine birding trip is quite an adventure

St. Augustine can be a great place to go birding, with miles of beaches, a great state park and a very bird-friendly alligator attraction nearby

I took a weekend birding trip to St. Augustine in late January – part of a Christmas present from my wife. Also included was a photography pass to the St. Augustine Alligator Farm, which has a rookery area that attracts all types of nesting herons, egrets, wood storks and spoonbills in the spring.

While it was still too early for nesting at the rookery during my visit, I did get to see some Yellow-crowned Night Herons, Snowy Egrets as well as some Roseate Spoonbills – including a very special one.

Roseate Spoonbill NR, who was born at the St. Augustine Alligator Farm rookery, January 2025.

This spoonbill, with a NR band on its leg, was actually born at the rookery in 2015. She has been coming back there to nest and raise her own chicks. More info on NR in this video.

It’s a pretty amazing story.

I made several trips to the rookery during mornings and evenings. On one windy pre-sunset visit, I got to see some Snowy Egrets’ breeding plumate blowing around – creating some interesting avian hairdos.

Snowy Egret in the wind, St. Augustine Alligator Farm’s rookery, January 2025.

Albert Einstein? No, it’s a Snowy Egret in the wind, St. Augustine Alligator Farm’s rookery, January 2025.

My visits to Anastasia State Park and nearby beaches north and south of town offered glimpses of Semipalmated Plovers, Willets, Ruddy Turnstones, Ring-billed Gulls and Laughing Gulls.

It was a great first trip of 2025 to St. Augustine, but I plan on making more once nesting season is in full swing.