Wakodahatchee Wetlands, 1/2/2016

Neotropic Cormorant
Neotropic Cormorant
Jan 2, 2016
On New Year's Day our family drove down to Palm Beach County to visit my brother-in-law.  The following morning I decided to visit Wakodahatchee Wetlands. It's a wonderful place with a beautifully maintained board walk that takes you through the wetlands.  My primary hope was to see the Neotropic Cormorant that has been hanging out here.  It took a while, but eventually it showed itself--a nice, bright white line surrounding its gular pouch. My father and I also visited the park on Dec. 27th, so I thought I'd share photos from both of my visits.  My December visit was the first day I'd seen a Neotropic Cormorant in the U.S.

Neotropic Cormorant
December 27, 2015
I also saw another cormorant that looks like it might be a hybrid Neotropic x Double-crested Cormorant, but I'm no expert on these things.  It seems to have the white outline to the yellow gular pouch, but it's more faint than it should be.

Neotropic Cormorant X Double-crested Cormorant Hybrid
Neotropic x Double-crested Cormorant Hybrid
January 2, 2016
The wetlands area is a wonderful place for ducks, wading birds and other marshy birds. All kinds of herons and egrets can be seen here.

Tricolored Heron
December 27, 2015
Black-crowned Night Heron
Black-crowned Night Heron
January 2, 2016
And some even breed here

Great Blue Herons
Great Blue Herons
January 2, 2016
It's even home to some birds that don't really belong here, like Gray-headed Swamphens, which escaped a few years ago and now have established themselves throughout southern Florida.
Gray-headed Swamphen
Gray-headed Swamphen
January 2, 2016
There were also two species of invasive reptiles.  There were several bright orange iguanas, oddly named Common Green Iguana, and a Brown Basilisk.

Common Green Iguana
Common Green Iguana
January 2, 2016
Brown Basilisk
January 2, 2016

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