#Kite shop st augustine free#

Left to right: Allie McCue, Southwest Regional Director of the FWC, Tammy Heon, Manager of Tourism Development for Florida’s Adventure Coast, Hana Brinkley, head of Chinsegut Conservation Center and Lauren Ali, coordinator of the Great Florida Birding and Wildlife Trail. Ribbon cutting wlecoming Chinsegut to the GFBWT. The rookery is also an excellent place to see Yellow-crowned and Black-crowned Night Herons from fall to early spring. See the typical rookery nesting schedule from February to August here. Other regulars include Tricolored, Little Blue and Green Herons. On arriving visitors may see many of these big birds flying over the park before encountering them in the rookery. Cattle, Great and Snowy Egrets generally have the highest nest count, but in 2021 Wood storks had a record one hundred and eleven nests.

Peak nest counts for all bird species in the rookery range between 400 and 800 each spring.

By 2019, the number of Spoonbill nests had grown from four to seventy-one. Spoonbills first nested in the rookery in 2010, although juveniles roosted there in previous years. This year a Spoonbill nest in a cabbage palm over the boardwalk offers a delightful view of two fluffy pink chicks. They nest in trees right alongside an elevated boardwalk above the alligator pond, displaying their brilliant plumage while tending their nests and feeding their chicks barely a few feet from the railings. The birds at this well-established rookery are unbothered by park visitors. Augustine Alligator Farm provides a rare opportunity to get up close in person with nesting birds and their young. The location of the rookeries in tall trees over water usually also limits human access, but the rookery at St. The large carnivorous reptiles discourage predators like racoons that would otherwise try to steal eggs and chicks for food. Wading birds often form rookeries above alligator-inhabited waters. These birds are wild but have naturally chosen to take advantage of the favorable environment at the facility. The facility hosts an impressive collection of reptiles and other creatures, but birders come for the rookery.Īn impressive variety of wading birds nest above the zoo’s large outdoor alligator exhibit, including Roseate Spoonbills, Wood Storks and several species of herons and egrets. What started as a roadside attraction has evolved over the years into a fully accredited zoo known for its conservation work as well as for being a staple of the local tourist industry. “In the late nineteenth century, George Reddington and Felix Fire began collecting alligators on Anastasia Island.” Augustine Alligator Farm Zoological Park. Play with friends and family or enjoy some solo fun outdoors.įind a Wildlife Management Area near you with this map and join the quest here!Ī Great Egret nest with chicks in the rookery at St.

#Kite shop st augustine free#

Use the free and easy-to-use GooseChase app to go on a wild adventure and discover some of Florida’s best spots to see wildlife and enjoy the outdoors.

Look for it at home or while playing WildQuest!įrom April 28–May 7, 2023, join the Great Florida Birding and Wildlife Trail and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission for a scavenger hunt on select Wildlife Management Areas throughout the state. The Green Anole is the WildQuest 2023 mascot. Kite Tales The monthly newsletter of the Great Florida Birding & Wildlife Trail