Wakodahatchee Wetlands, 1/2/2016

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 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
January 2, 2016

And some even breed here

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
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
January 2, 2016

Brown Basilisk
January 2, 2016