UTSW Rookery

Spring 2016 I started visiting the bird rookery at UTSW Medical Center in Dallas, Texas. It was my first time to see a rookery. In this gallery I am attempting to document what takes place in a rookery for each species of aquatic bird that comes here. It has been an amazing journey that I am sharing here. There are 8 species that nest here and I will divide them by species in the order that they show up.

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Giant Fluffy Chicks

Anhinga babies grow very rapidly and are quite large before venturing out of the nest. On the one all the way to your left, you can see the new pin feathers of the tail. Above that is a hole, it is not what you think. It is an oil gland, called the Uropygial Gland. "The primary function of this gland is to secrete preen oil via a papilla - a nipple-like projection." https://www.beautyofbirds.com/anhingas.html)
Anhinga Nestlings (Anhinga anhinga)
UT Southwest Medical Center Rookery

anhinga anhinga breeding season rookery ut southwest medical center UTSW rookery large bird aquatic bird aquatic water fowl shy long neck anhinga diving bird dallas texas nest nesting anhinga nest baby anhinga baby anhinga chick nestling nestlings large babies fluffy bizarre unusual odd strange preening oil gland Uropygial Gland oil gland