Beginning each February, a quiet retention pond in west Pasco County transforms into a seasonal rookery as wood storks, great egrets, white ibis, anhingas and tricolored and little blue herons gather to court, nest and raise chicks in the trees above the water. Hundreds of wading birds return each spring to nest and raise young.
The mixed-species wading bird rookery in Port Richey allows several species to breed at once, with adults building stick nests, laying two to five eggs and sharing incubation duties for about a month before chicks hatch. A great egret takes flight while gathering nesting materials and food at the rookery. An alligator posts itself below pairs of wood storks, great egrets and anhingas as they nest in Port Richey.
Photos taken by Douglas R. Clifford show a wood stork transporting a strand from a vine to its nest, a great egret displaying its plumage while tending its nest, and a pair of wood storks meeting at their nest while tending to eggs. The rookery is home to a variety of species, including juvenile wood storks preparing for a meal from their parents.
The process of feeding is a normal, essential part of the chicks’ growth, where the process partially breaks the food down and makes it manageable for the chicks. This spectacle can be observed in the Port Richey rookery, which is located in Pasco County.
Originally reported by Suncoast News – New Port Richey
Sources: Suncoast News – New Port Richey
