This Barred Owl struck up a nice pose on a broken tree stump off a trail in the woods behind the bamboo garden at Magnolia Plantation.
If Ted hadn’t seen the Owl fly into the area we might have passed on by without spotting him.
South Carolina is dotted with ruins of churches and other historical buildings. Fire, at the hands of an enemy during war or by accident, was a common culprit. Sometimes they were ravaged to use building materials elsewhere.
Old Sheldon Church Ruins
The Old Sheldon Church in Beaufort County was originally built around 1750.
The owners of the property have recently added a fence to keep visitors out of the ruin for safety purposes and hopefully from taking souvenirs. Oddly, to me, this has become a popular spot for wedding and other portrait photographs.
The giant Live Oaks surrounding the property lend to the feeling of times gone by.
Egrets take turns watching the water stream by in this small outflow from one of the ponds at Magnolia Plantation into the Ashley River. It was near high tide when I took this image of a Snowy Egret holding court with the river lapping at the top of the retaining wall.
A Great Blue Heron was crossing back and forth over a pond, low over the water.
Finally, touch down!
Perhaps it was a bit deeper than he expected.
But not so deep his toes couldn’t touch.
White-tailed Deer are one of the mammals on Saint Phillips Island, and this one was not at all disturbed by a passing pickup truck and trailer with 20 humans watching him.
It was hot that day and I hadn’t even seen a squirrel, so was rather surprised to see this buck.
He finally did stand up, but showed no alarm.
Saint Phillips Island is a mixture of marsh, maritime forest, and sand dunes. The south coastal barrier islands are known to have had indigenous populations going back thousands of years and at least one ancient shell mound has been located here.
From the air the island looks like corduroy fabric, with the wales running parallel to the mainland. Various amounts of water are in the wales and the island can only be traversed lengthwise. This peaceful scene is near the center of the island. And yes, there were plenty of mosquitoes.
Saint Phillips is one of a group of barrier islands that sit at the edge of the Atlantic Ocean between Hilton Head Island and Edisto Island, protecting mainland South Carolina from the sea.
In 2017 the State of South Carolina purchased Saint Phillips Island from Ted Turner, who self describes as “founder of media empire, philanthropist, and environmentalist pioneer in sustainable resources.”
He owned the nearly 5000 acre (20 square KM) property for several decades, creating nature trails and building this modest home for seaside get-aways. The state parks department is exploring how to include this treasure as part of Hunting Island State Park (not to be confused with Huntington Beach State Park in Murrells Inlet).
Accessible only by boat, I was fortunate to be on one of the first public trips to the island. There was a lot to see and no where near enough time!
Our tour included a walk through the house. The screened front porch facing the ocean was fantastic!
When the house was first built there was an expansive sand beach leading down to the ocean. Barrier islands change continuously from the effects of storms and daily wave action and that beach is now gone. At some point this rip-rap was installed to help keep the water at bay.
September 13, 2019
I can’t help but smile when I see a Brown Pelican, they are just goofy looking birds.
Then, they do something even goofier looking.
South Carolina’s coastal bays and rivers are full of entertainment.
Open wide!
Story River, from a boat, September 13, 2019
A family of Raccoons wandered along the edge of the marsh under a pier where I was standing. I got a few shots as they disappeared into the taller grass. It was one of those interesting things to see but a missed photographic opportunity. Or so I thought.
About ten minutes later the masked bandits made a return trip, this time coming towards me.
What could be so interesting up on this dead branch?
They was not be a group shot as they continued weaving in and out of the taller grass and shrubs.
They were cautious, but continued towards the pier.
This one appeared to be the ring leader, maybe a parent although they were all the same size. He stood watch while the others went back into the tall grass before he followed.
This Tricolored Heron took advantage of a fallen tree that was hanging out over the pond to soak up some sun.
And preen.
Just a few feet down the path I got a different colored background created by reflections in the water.
