Kids will be kids

While the adult looked on, the two wood stork nestlings were biting each other and jostling around in the nest. It seemed playful.

Comparing Notes

I visited the wild bird rookery at St. Augustine in May when the Wood Storks, Great Egrets and Spoonbills all had nestlings. I am always surprised at how close together different species nest in rookeries. These two nests (wood storks above and great egrets below) were only maybe 24 inches apart. But the nestlings didn’t seem to mind, and the business of feeding hungry babies went off without a hitch.

Bring us anything?

This parent had been gone a long time from a rookery behind a shopping center in Port Richey, Florida. Upon return the chicks seemed to be asking, “What did you bring us?” The answer this time was nothing. Featured twice in the “Tampa Tribune,” this rookery is the site of the 2016 winning Audubon photo by Melissa Groo, one of the top nature and conservation photographers in America.