Fights, Growls, and Babies on the Way!

Common Moorhens taken by Bill Kominsky at Green Cay.

It's been a bizarre week at the wetlands, many of the species have been mating or giving attempts. Don't they know that winter is approaching. Now I realize that when the average temperature is in the mid-70s it's hard to adjust to what the calendar tells us. And certainly birds and other animals rely more on environmental clues but still, I don't know if it's the best time of year to reproduce.

Yesterday on the back deck I heard the rumbling growl of one of our large alligators. Sure enough the largest male had his head out of the water and the water was just a-dancing on his back. Last year our moorhens had babies in January and it was the coldest winter on record so definitely I imagine that more chicks will come this winter.

At least the out-of-season reproduction efforts keeps things interesting here at Green Cay. Right now is a great time to visit. We have plenty of ducks, mating squabbles from the moorhens, alligators growling, and today when I walked in I was graced with 9 Roseate Spoonbills feeding near the bathrooms. Life is good.