Wakodahatchee and Green Cay Wetlands, Florida

Separated by only a couple miles, both of these wetland areas share a lot in common.  Both are run by the Palm Beach County Water Utilities Department Southern Region Water Reclamation Facility.  Both cleanse several million gallons of highly treated water daily, are located in the middle of suburban areas-Wakodahatchee in Delray Beach and Green Cay in Boynton Beach, and serve as a recreational park like setting for thousands of local Floridians and visitors.  The large parking lot at Green Cay can be overflowing on any given morning with school groups, walkers, birders, and photographers while the smaller parking area at Wakodahatchee demands an early arrival.

Green Cay's Visitor Center

Green Cay is the newest facility and boasts a 9,000 square foot visitor's center and 1.5 miles of boardwalk.  It was originally open prairie with wetlands.  The site was then converted to farmland for many years until the owners donated it with the intentions of restoring it to an everglade-like wetlands ecosytem.  Wakodahatchee is the older site and was vacant utility land that was transformed in the same manner.  It is a smaller site with only half the boardwalk but boasts 140 species bird list.

I visited these sites two mornings and one evening and found that there was more photographic opportunities, at least for this time of year, at Wakodatchee.  Wakodatchee has several small islands placed close to the boardwalk that was attracting a fair amount of nesting activity from Great Blue Herons, Great Egrets, Cattle Egrets, Tricolored Herons, Green Herons, Anhingas, and Ibis.  Some species were far along in their nesting cycle with large young in the nests, while others were busy carrying sticks.  Green Cay has much larger expanses and does not offer these nesting islands but on any given day can be very good for photography.

Tricolored Heron heading out again after delivering a stick to it's mate

Great Egret

Great Egret landing at nest

                             

                       Two Green Herons were beginning to build a nest while a third individual apparently watched as the "odd man out"



An either "happy" or "upset" Black-crowned Night Heron.  Sometimes it is hard to tell!

Glossy Ibis

Great Blue Heron

Cattle Egret in stick-carrying ballet

I was hoping to photograph both American Bitterns and Least Bitterns but did not get a chance.  I saw American Bitterns at both sites but could not get clear shots.  Least Bitterns were apparently hiding.

Not all the activity was confined to the islands as the pools also attracted species such as Black-necked Stilts.

Black-necked Stilt