What a difference a month makes when it comes to bird nesting season.
When I visited the St. Augustine Alligator Farm’s rookery in mid April, there were a few baby birds and a few nests. It was an enjoyable visit but nothing spectacular.
Visiting it again almost exactly a month later, I was overwhelmed with the number of nests and babies across the rookery. That included the diversity of birds there, allowing me to see baby Tricolored Herons, Little Blue Herons, Snowy Egrets, Western Cattle Egrets – as well as some Great Egrets and Roseate Spoonbills, which I also saw back in April.
To show how fast birds grow, I was able to take a picture of three juvenile Great Egrets with a parent who were just little chicks back in April.
OK, this time it was spectacular!
Roseate Spoonbill parent and spoonies, St. Augustine, May 2025.Great Egret parent and chick, which is enjoying a minnow snack, St. Augustine, May 2025.Fledgling Snowy Egrets, St. Augustine, May 2025.Tricolored Heron chicks, St. Augustine, May 2025.Roseate Spoonbill parent and spoonies, St. Augustine, May 2025.Little Blue Heron parent and chicks, St. Augustine, May 2025.Little Blue Heron parent and chick, St. Augustine, May 2025.Tricolored Heron chicks, St. Augustine, May 2025.Snowy Egret chicks, St. Augustine, May 2025.Roseate Spoonbill chick, St. Augustine, May 2025.Snowy Egret parent and chicks, St. Augustine, May 2025.Snowy Egret parent and chick, St. Augustine, May 2025.Snowy Egret parent on nest with a little chick poking its head out, St. Augustine, May 2025.Great Egret parent and chick, St. Augustine, May 2025.Great Egret still in breeding plumage, St. Augustine, May 2025.Snowy Egret parent and new chicks, St. Augustine, May 2025.Juvenile Little Blue Heron, St. Augustine, May 2025.Great Egret parent and juveniles, St. Augustine, May 2025.Juvenile Great Egrets, St. Augustine, May 2025.Juvenile Great Egrets, St. Augustine, May 2025.Western Cattle Egret parent and chick, St. Augustine, May 2025.Western Cattle Egret parent and chick, St. Augustine, May 2025.Snowy Egret fledgling, St. Augustine, May 2025.Great Egret parent and chick, St. Augustine, May 2025.Roseate Spoonbill parent and spoonies, St. Augustine, May 2025.Roseate Spoonbill parent and spoonie, St. Augustine, May 2025.
See how they grow …
Back in April … Great Egret parent and chicks, St. Augustine Alligator Farm rookery, April 2025.One month later … Same nest with 3 Great Egret juveniles and their parent, St. Augustine, May 2025.
Some are returning birds, like the Palm Warbler and the Yellow-throated Warbler. Some are new, like the female Painted Bunting. And some are regulars, like the Northern Cardinal and the Blue Jay.
