Celebrate Mother’s Day With Feathered Moms and Cute Chicks

These cute and amaze-wing photos are courtesy of nature photographer, Jim Robellard. He took the photos at the Venice Audubon Rookery and the Roseate Spoonbill at the St. Augustine Alligator Farm. The Burrowing Owl photo is from his neighborhood burrow.

The Venice Area Audubon Rookery is internationally known to bird photographers and according to Jim, the best time to photograph most of the birds is early morning or late afternoon.

At the Rookery, nesting months (December through May) are a hub of activity for the Great Blue Heron, Great Egret, Anhinga, Egret, Ibis and Black-crowned Night Heron. The colony is busy building nests, some in the process of incubating and others raising chicks.

We often see birds flying overhead with sticks to build their nests and carrying food (insects) in their bills to feed their young. Like human moms, they “love their babies” and spend a lot of time fussing, cleaning and feeding them and they act in a protective manner to keep them safe.

The Roseate Spoonbill (Platalea ajaja) has a large spoon-shaped bill – just as the name implies. It is also easily identified by its vibrant pink plumage. During the feather trade in the late 1800s and early 1900s spoonbills were hunted for their feathers but now, they are hunted by photographers and birders.

Spoonbills are frequently seen feeding in the shallows of Tigertail Lagoon in the early mornings or late afternoon. Nesting season, according to the Audubon Field Guide, is January through late May. Both parents feed the young and juveniles leave the nest after seven to eight weeks. 

Reddish Egret (Egretta rufescens) are usually seen in the company of other species in coastal areas such as Tigertail lagoon. They are present in the estuaries and mangroves year-round. Breeding season is usually from November to May and according to Audubon, females lay up to three or four eggs and both adults take turns sitting on the eggs. The young chicks remain in the nest for about 45-49 days.

Black-crowned Night Heron (N. nycticorax), according to the Audubon Field Guide, forages mostly from late evening and continues to hunt until first light, unlike other herons. They have a “night-owl” lifestyle and find food when there is less competition. Nesting season is between January and runs through August. Both parents sit on the nest and after one month, once they can fly, the chicks leave the nest.

Anhinga (A. anhinga) are the birds we often see silently diving for food with barely a ripple. Or we see them sunning themselves on tree tops near the water’s edge, with their wings stretched out to dry. Anhingas are often referred to as snakebird or water turkeys with their long necks. Mating generally occurs in February with egg laying occurring throughout the spring and early summer. Both parents share in incubating the nest.

Burrowing Owls (Athene cunicularia) nesting season is in full swing with chicks popping all over the island. Feeding a brood is a full-time endeavor for mom and dad owls but luckily, Marco’s well-watered front yards are good sources of small prey for the hungry chicks.