One of my favorite places to visit here in my local community of Naples, Florida is the Bird Rookery. It consists of beautiful little lake at the parking lot area and an 11-mile loop through the Florida marsh land. The trail is a combination of a boardwalk and dirt path that meanders through a marsh with swamp water on each side. Hikers should definitely be aware that because this is a swamp…there are alligators everywhere. One particular hike I encountered so many alligators that I stopped counting after 20. Luckily, the alligators are not interested in those passing by!!

In spite of the alligators, the Rookery is a quiet respite away from the daily hustle and bustle of life. Instead of the ringing of my cell phone, I listen for whistles and calls of the many birds that call this sanctuary their home. I frequent the Rookery several times a week during the months of January to May when rainfall and water levels in the marsh are low, allowing plenty of feeding spots for the wading birds. The Rookery is truly a birder’s paradise!! There are several varieties of herons, egrets, warblers, cormorants, anhingas, and the always creepy vulture. But one of the most fascinating birds that calls the Rookery home is the red-shouldered hawk.

There is always one hawk that hangs out at the beginning of the boardwalk, but he is not interested in having his picture taken! Try as I may, he has continually evaded my camera. Until now!! In late January, my husband and I had just finished a several mile hike when we noticed a bird nest in the fork of a big cypress tree. We stayed quiet for what seemed like an hour and finally daddy hawk made an appearance; mommy hawk soon followed several minutes later. We watched them as flew in and out of the nest with twigs, leaves, and twin they had found close by. Although the nest looked complete, they appeared to be putting the finishing touches on the place their babies would call home for the next few months.

Since we are regulars at the Rookery every week, it was fun to watch and monitor the activity in the nest every week. Since the incubation and nesting period for the red-shouldered hawk can be anywhere from 2-3 months, it was hard to tell how far along they were in the birthing process. It wasn’t until the end of April that we finally heard and saw activity as we noticed 2 baby chicks attempting to fly out of the nest. I was able to photograph 1 chick as it flew across the lake and awkwardly landed in a nearby tree. The other chick never attempted to fly the day these photos were taken. This series of photos resulted in some great action shots as the little guy tried to maneuver through the tree branches until he finally positioned himself at the edge of a sturdy limb. His father kept flying into the tree to encourage him to fly back to the nest, but it was apparent the baby was not going anywhere anytime soon. After about 15 minutes, we decided our presence made the young chick nervous, so we packed up and got in the car. As we drove away, we noticed that the School of Flight was back in session because baby took off and flew home!!