It's that time of year again. A visit to the local Alligator Farm and Rookery. This is the time of year when large populations of birds start breeding in Florida. The Alligator Farm here also has a large area reserved for wild bird rookery.
They also offer a "photographer's pass" to those wanting extra time for pictures. This pass allows the holders to get into the park an hour before it opens for normal public, and stay later in the evening for reduced crowds.
It was a little early to catch some of the birds in their mating dance, there will be much more activity there next month. I did get a few good bird pics, and lots of them were building their nests. I'll save those for posts in #featheredfriends and some other groups.
Don't want to fall in here!
Hmm, maybe pink birds for Easter Dinner!
There is also a very rare Albino Alligator here at the farm.
One of the other reasons I went early this year was to test out the camera's video capability. I have to say I was impressed with it and look forward to doing more. I wasn't setup with a tripod to hold it steady with this big zoom lens on it, but did ok holding it with the monopod. Really look forward to capturing more video with it!
This guy may be creeping along slow, but did you know that Alligators can run up to 35 mph for short distance and swim up to 20 mph? Not going to outrun these bad boys, so better be able to out run your friends!
Many more birding pics to follow, but if you're in NorthEast Florida, this should definitely be on your list of places to go see. The Alligators are cool to see up close safely, and the birding opportunities are fantastic!
Here's just a taste of the birding. Seeing these huge egrets fly and building nests is amazing.
These Roseate Spoonbills are amazing to see. I got some great video of these as well.
And these giant WoodStorks! Who would think something this big could fly?
Here's a closer view of the Spoonbill. He's keeping his eye on you!
All images original work copyright by the author of this post.
Most shot with Sony A7RIV and Sony 200-600mm lens.
The wide group gator shots and Albino with Pixel 9 Fold phone.