Scenes from a Bird Nesting Colony

Jill StaakeJill StaakeUpdated: Apr. 24, 2020

Wading birds frequently raise their young in mixed-species colonies. See photos from one bird nesting colony in Florida.

Earlier this year, I discovered the existence of the Sagebrush Colony here in Tampa. This small island in the middle of a local neighborhood pond is home to at least 9 species of nesting birds, and beginning in late winter it becomes a cacophonous hive of activity as they begin mating, nest-building, and raising their young. I’ve spent the last few months observing and photographing, and now I’m sharing some of my favorite bird photos with you.

Bird Nesting Colony
Wood Stork with nesting colony island behind.
Bird Nesting Colony
Adult Double-Crested Cormorant with 3 juveniles, nearly full grown.
Bird Nesting Colony
Adult Great Egret feeds two juveniles who are nearly old enough to fledge.
Bird Nesting Colony
Wood Stork adult with two half-grown chicks.
Bird Nesting Colony
Little Blue Heron nest with eggs
Bird Nesting Colony
Mating Wood Stork pair building their nest.
Bird Nesting Colony
Juvenile Great Egret stretching its wings
Bird Nesting Colony
Snowy Egret in mating display
Bird Nesting Colony
Look closely – One of those chicks is in the wrong nest! The chick with the large orange beak is a Wood Stork chick. It apparently fell from its own nest into this Cattle Egret nest below. Cattle Egrets are half the size of Wood Storks, so this is an especially odd pairing. However, a few days later, the Cattle Egret chicks pushed the Wood Stork chick from the nest.

You can see more photos from this bird nesting colony in my previous blog posts about Great Egret nesting and Anhinga courtship.

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Originally Published: July 01, 2015

Jill Staake
Jill Staake
Jill lives in Tampa, Florida, and writes about gardening, butterflies, outdoor projects and birding. When she's not gardening, you'll find her reading, traveling and happily digging her toes into the sand on the beach.