Feature: Venice Rookery

Within the wildlife and birding mecca of Southwest Florida is an unassuming island that could unquestionably be described as an oasis.

The Glossy Ibis above was photographed at Venice Area Audubon Rookery in January 2010.

This place is located at Audubon Venice Area Rookery in the metropolitan area of Venice, Florida.

I arrived at the rookery for the first time about 45 minutes before sunrise about mid January 2010. This was fortuitous as I was able to observe what most visitors to the rookery perhaps do not.

The Great Egret above was photographed at Venice Area Audubon Rookery in January 2010.

In the near pitch darkness it was evident from the parking area immediately adjacent to the rookery that there was life on the island. The contrast of the pure white feathers of the Great Egret in particular resting in the foliage was striking and memorable.

Many dozens of these birds as well as several other species took flight to the East well before the sun's rays would cast their glow on the diminutive island.

The Great Egret above was photographed at Venice Area Audubon Rookery in January 2010.

The birds that remained included a relatively small handful of Great Blue Heron, Great Egret, Glossy Ibis, and Anhinga that seemingly had staked their claim to nests on the island.

As time passed and a dozen or so fellow avian enthusiasts would come and go, I was able to observe some interesting wildlife behavior and see a couple of species of bird that I had not photographed in Florida before.

The Great Blue Heron above was photographed at Venice Area Audubon Rookery in January 2010.

A list of 17 bird species seen on my visit to the rookery is highlighted by clicking here. The seemingly omnipresent Laughing Gull was mistakenly omitted in my list.

Of the two bird species not observed before in my effort to document the near 500 that either live in or migrate through Florida were the American Robin (not photographed) and the Black-bellied Whistling-Duck.

The Black-bellied Whistling-Duck above was photographed at Venice Area Audubon Rookery in January 2010.

The Black-bellied Whistling-Duck flew in a group of up to 14 over the rookery on four occasions. It was a great test of my ability to document them with photographs. I knew that special compensation had to be made in the camera's settings to avoid underexposure of the images.

While all of this was going on, I was extremely fortunate to observe a pair of Great Blue Heron mating. The male was able to accomplish this after his third arrival to his mate with nest building material.

The Great Blue Heron above was photographed at Venice Area Audubon Rookery in January 2010.

Other interesting behavior was observed in a male Anhinga that was diligently breaking the berry laden branches of his perch and offering them to his mate who was somewhat hidden from my view.

The brilliant green lore of the male Great Egret was a welcome sign of the exciting months ahead. Virtually every male bird within its species will make a noticeable change in its appearance to entice its potential mate.

The Anhinga above was photographed at Venice Area Audubon Rookery in January 2010.

The rookery is a must see venue if you are anywhere in the area or otherwise. While the wildlife is tantalizingly close, it's been well noted that longer lenses of 400mm to 600mm or more are helpful for photography as close as you may seem to the action. Don't forget your binoculars.

Find directions to the rookery by clicking here.