It was a foggy morning and I had just missed the adult Great Blue Heron feeding the chicks.
The adult was showing signs of leaving…
…and away s/he went.
The chicks hunkered down.
One was a little more curious, soon they will be wing flapping.
Magnolia Plantation & Gardens, Charleston, SC
April 15, 2023
The Skinny Tree is hanging on and once again hosting a Great Blue Heron family.
There are three chicks, and amazingly all three appear to be thriving.
Other nests with triplets that I have observed over the years have at least one chick being much smaller and not surviving.
This year’s nest is pretty small compared to other years which will be a challenge for the family as the chicks grow.
Magnolia Plantation & Gardens, Charleston, SC
April 12, 2023
I’ve been on this corner at the back of the old rice field when the Nature Train was passing and heard the tour guide point out this Redwood Tree as they pass.
They either didn’t say, or I’ve never paid enough attention, why this single Redwood happens to be right here.
Magnolia Plantation and Gardens, Charleston, SC
A roosting Black Vulture was joined by a Wood Stork.
The Vulture was pretty much unfazed, even with all that flapping going on.
Settle down, look around…we’re at the top of the world!
The angle between these birds and my position created an optical illusion that these two birds are close in height. The Wood Stork actually is longer, weighs more, and has a slightly wider wing span.
Black Vulture:
Wood Stork:
From The Cornell Lab, All About Birds
St. Augustine Alligator Farm, St. Augustine, FL
January 20, 2023
Here’s another view of the bold Gulf Fritillary I featured yesterday.
In contrast, this one was tattered and faded.
That’s quite a chunk missing out of his forewing, and the hind wings have some damage, too. But he could still fly.
Donnelley Wildlife Management Area, SC
November 26, 2022
As the morning warmed up I could smell the honeysuckle as I walked along the dike and pretty soon several butterflies appeared.
This Gulf Fritillary was a very bold orange, and in pristine shape like he had just hatched.
Several Skippers were intent on feeding from the underside of the leaves, this one popped out for just a moment.
This last butterfly looks like a Sulpher Butterfly, but was much smaller, about this size of a dime (Diameter 0.750 in. ~ 19.05 mm) . Research turns up it is likely a Little Yellow.
Donnelley Wildlife Management Area, SC
November 26, 2022
I saw quite a few dragonflies yesterday morning around a local pond.
Perches over sparkly duck weed seemed to be the preferred landing option.
And a few chose the ever popular random piece of rebar.
It was a nail-biter.
For me.
Surely the White Pelican would swoosh between the Great Egrets…
But no, he ran out of oomph and veered left.
There was to be no touch down score for this American White Pelican
Bear Island Wildlife Management Area, SC
February 23, 2022
Middleton Place, Charleston, SC
October 19, 2021
I remembered this delightful bush as I wondered some lesser traveled paths at Magnolia Plantation and Gardens a few weeks ago.
This plant is surely the gift that keeps on giving, as it was just covered with these shapely yellow blooms.
Some of the singles left on a stalk were real stand-outs.
Most of the plant was covered with these clusters.
I had posted images of this plant last December not knowing what it was. Fortuitously, the most recent Magnolia Newsletter had an image and identified it as Cassia.
A little plant research shows there are a number of varieties of Cassia and I’m just going to let it go at that.
December 6, 2021
