Many people have never seen an actual rookery. I know I hadn’t until a few years ago. They are nothing like I would have imagined. A rookery is; crowded, loud, smells, exciting, and sometimes sad.
The photograph above is a good example (click any image to see the detailed chaos). This single cypress has at least 10 Great Egret nests, 2 Great Blue Heron, and scattered around a few Anhinga chicks can be seen.
Above is a different tree, closer to the swamp edge, but the same concept. Condo living. The main draw is a) surrounded by water and b) they have been here before c) Alligators patrol below and protect from attacks.
The last image here is of low hanging branches on a small island in the middle of a lake. Again, if you look at this full size you can find many different species. What you can’t see are the numerous Alligators that rest of the ground underneath these trees.
Most nesting occurs February through July, then the last of the juveniles are flying.
Gets pretty crowded! Great to see your photos, adds so much to see the context!
Glad you liked them. Most times we are right up in the mix so adding context like this can help to put the pieces all together. Of course not all the places are that open, but when they are it makes for interesting images (I hope).
Oh definitely Ted! I really enjoyed these images and seeing the various kinds of birds sharing the (limited) space.