The sun was going down behind me as I looped back by the pond where I had photographed the Mottled Duck pair and Tricolored Heron.
I took some landscape images and then realized the ducks and heron were still there, in the tall grass.
The Tricolored Heron started working his way back out into the open.
And the ducks followed him.
The heron continued to wade and the ducks swam behind, all in a row.
It’s a wrap. Thanks for following along and all of your comments throughout 2019. Best wishes for a peaceful and safe 2020.
These tree tops provide a frequent perch for a pair of Bald Eagles. On this morning only one of the pair came while I was there. Sometimes they sit here for hours, watching over an old rice field impoundment and the Ashley River.
Magnolia Plantation and Gardens, Charleston, SC
December 8, 2019
The Long White Bridge at Magnolia Plantation and Gardens with a touch of fall color.
November 27, 2019
This canal runs along the edge of an old rice field impoundment at Magnolia Plantation and Gardens. The canal was recently mechanically cleared, pushing back the bank on the right after being nearly choked with reeds and cat-tails.
Just as it was starting to rain and we were heading out a Great Blue Heron landed in the Skinny Tree. It was a long, soft shot, but I do like all the colors around the edge of the pond.
If you zoom in you’ll see that all of last year’s nesting material is gone from the tree. The GBH nest was where the Heron is standing; Great Egrets built three nests lower down, one on top of the Wood Duck box. I expect a Great Blue Heron pair will start building it up soon as this has been one of the prime nesting sites on this pond for many years.
A very entertaining group including American White Pelicans, Great Blue Herons, Roseate Spoonbills, Wood Storks, a Great Egret and an Anhinga.
And an Alligator.
The gates of rice field trunk, which controls the flow water from the Ashley River into the pond to the left, is surrounded by a yellow and gold fall glow.
November 27, 2019
Nature’s finest fall decorations, artfully placed.
I was standing on the eastern end of Folly Island, facing the marsh behind the barrier island. The pool of water in the foreground has been created by the shifting shape of this beach where a low spot has recently been carved out above the normal high tide line. Tidal action and storms continuously change the barrier islands and I won’t be surprised if the next big storm carves a piece of this land into its own island or washes it away completely.
