The next stop on our winter RV journey was Saint Augustine, Florida. We had a beautiful campsite in Anastasia State Park to call home for a few days. The weather was lousy most of the time but we picked a perfect sunny day to do some sightseeing.
At the top of my to do list was visit the Saint Augustine Alligator Farm Wading Bird Rookery. During nesting season wading birds come to nest in the trees in the Native Swamp at the Alligator Farm. The birds who nest here are wild and can come and go as they please. Although it was a little early in the nesting season there were a lot of great egrets and roseate spoonbills wearing their breeding plumage and some pairs were starting to build their nests.
The trees surround a swamp area filled with alligators. A boardwalk winds around the swamp giving visitors close up views of the alligators in the water and the birds in the trees.
The Great Egrets showed off their breeding plumage and pairs worked on their nests.
The Roseate Spoonbills were my favorite.
Coming up next, more about our St. Augustine adventure including other critters at the Alligator Farm.
Wandering Dawgs 
The last time I was at the farm was about 35 years ago! Looks like it’s time to visit again!
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It had been over 40 years since we had been. I wasn’t interested in birds back then.
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Beautiful upclose photos
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Alice, thank you. The birds were putting on a show
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You captured some amazing shots including the one with the wings open and ready to fly. Wow!
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Thanks Judy! I watched that bird for a long time and all of a sudden he took off. I usually miss getting the shots of the birds flying so I was thrilled that one turned out.
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Wow! You captured some beautiful images. I would’ve been in bird heaven. I’m sure missing those shore birds, so thanks for a fix.
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Ingrid, you would have loved it. Some of the birds were very close to the walkway and paid no attention to me.
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Gorgeous!
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Thank you!
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Another state park to add to our list. We are enjoying the state parks for a variety of reasons. Great photographs.
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One of my favorite places. Look at those feather plumes! Gorgeous pics!
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Thanks Pam! I loved being able to see so many birds up close. They spent a lot of time preening and showing off their feathers. So much fun to see.
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Oh you captured these birds so beautifully! The one with the wings spread out is my favorite!
And I have never seen a pink Spoonbill… except in pictures so thanks for sharing their beauty with us! 💗
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Thanks Nancy! Glad to share them with you.
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Fantastic photos! We’re planning on spending a chunk of next winter in St. Augustine, so I’m definitely adding this place to the list!
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Thank you! There’s a lot more to see there besides the nesting birds.
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Beautiful shots of the birds.
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Thank you. It was great to see them in person.
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Nice photos! I am local, over to go there, went this week and got some great photos including babies in the rookery, hoping to share soon:)
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How fun to see the babies! Looking forward to seeing your photos.
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