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.
Roseate Spoonbill, St. Augustine Alligator Farm rookery, January 2025.Roseate Spoonbill, St. Augustine Alligator Farm rookery, January 2025.Roseate Spoonbill, St. Augustine Alligator Farm rookery, January 2025.Yellow-crowned Night Heron, St. Augustine Alligator Farm’s rookery, January 2025.Yellow-crowned Night Heron, St. Augustine Alligator Farm’s rookery, January 2025.Yellow-crowned Night Heron, St. Augustine Alligator Farm’s rookery, January 2025.Juvenile Night Heron (Black-capped or Yellow capped), St. Augustine Alligator Farm rookery, January 2025.Yellow-rumped Warbler, St. Augustine Alligator Farm rookery, January 2025.Yellow-rumped Warbler darting fowrard, St. Augustine Alligator Farm rookery, January 2025.Semipalmated Plovers, Anastasia State Park near St. Augustine, January 2025.Semipalmated Plover, Anastasia State Park near St. Augustine, January 2025.Young Black-bellied Plover eyes the Ruddy Turnstone’s catch, Anastasia State Park near St. Augustine, January 2025.Ruddy Turnstone and its catch, Anastasia State Park near St. Augustine, January 2025.Ring-billed Gull at sunset, St. Augustine Beach, January 2025.Laughing Gull, Anastasia State Park near St. Augustine, January 2025.Willet, St. Augustine Beach, January 2025.St. Augustine Lighthouse, seen from St. Augustine Beach, January 2025.St. Augustine Lighthouse, January 2025.
Since I started going to the Orlando Wetlands on Jan. 1, 2023, I’ve been trying – and ultimately failing – to get some decent pictures of the Bald Eagle couple who rule the roost at the park. Until now.
Included in this group are Roseate Spoonbills, Wood Storks, Common Yellowthroats, House Wrens and Swamp Sparrows. Also, I came across another new-to-me bird, a Swamp Wren.
I drove almost 2 hours to a preserve in Hillsborough County to see my Eastern Bluebird. Little did I realize there was a family of Eastern Bluebirds about 15 minutes from my house at the UCF Arboretum.
