All posts by Ellen Jennings

Birds

Belted Kingfisher On The Move

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You often hear a Belted Kingfisher before you see it, with a distinctive chatter as they swoop over ponds or marshes looking for a fish lunch.

Belted Kingfisher
Belted Kingfisher

This one landed in the Spoonie Tree, too far for a good photo of such a small bird, but a picturesque scene.

Belted Kingfisher
Belted Kingfisher In The Spoonie Tree

A little while later one that was clearly on a mission passed me as I walked along a dike.

Belted Kingfisher
Belted Kingfisher

And then he landed in another artful looking dead tree, creating an unmistakable silhouette.

Belted Kingfisher
Belted Kingfisher

Donnelley Wildlife Management Area, SC
September 2, 2023

Landscape

The Spoonie Tree, August 2023

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I’ve been posting about the slow demise of the Spoonie Tree for a couple of years and remain amazed that it is still standing. I took this image on Sunday, before Hurricane Idalia passed by.

The Spoonie Tree, August 27, 2023
The Spoonie Tree, August 27, 2023, occupied by a Great Egret and a Belted Kingfisher

Compare that to this image, taken in April when the water had been let out of the pond. The main limbs are still there but some of the smaller branches are gone and more of the bark has dropped.

The Spoonie Tree, April 2, 2023
The Spoonie Tree, April 2, 2023

Donnelley Wildlife Management Area, SC

Insects

Swallowtail on Statice

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I’ve referred to this type of butterfly as a Black Swallowtail before, but have learned it is probably a Palamedes Swallowtail.

Palamedes Swallowtail
Palamedes Swallowtail

Either way, this one put on a nice show for me while he was getting some sustenance from statice growing at the edge of a pond.

Palamedes Swallowtail
Palamedes Swallowtail

I was able to shift a little and get a different background that was all vegetation.

Palamedes Swallowtail
Palamedes Swallowtail

Donnelley Wildlife Management Area, Green Pond, SC
August 27, 2023