Two Great Blue Heron chicks are growing up fast in the skinny tree nest.
Magnolia Plantation and Gardens, Charleston, SC
April 10, 2026
Great Blue Heron Chicks
More Iris Single Blooms
White, yellow and purple Iris all seen the same day around Magnolia Plantation and Gardens.
Magnolia Plantation and Gardens, Charleston, SC
April 10, 2026
White Ibis, Sky Check
I rounded the corner of the swamp boardwalk to find this White Ibis walking the railing.
Something overhead caught his eye.
Then he squeezed his eyes shut, more than the usual blink.
Maybe he didn’t like what he saw.
Magnolia Plantation and Gardens, Charleston, SC
April 10, 2026
Silent Sunday: White Iris
Magnolia Plantation and Gardens, Charleston, SC
April 10, 2026
Wood Stork, Stick Gathering
He started out with a couple of leaves that he quickly discarded.
Then he pulled on some vines that were firmly attached.
Hmm, lets take a break.
Trying this again…
More pulling and yanking did not provide a different result: the vines were staying put.
Cypress Wetlands, Port Royal, SC
April 14, 2026
Downy Woodpecker Getting Lunch
A Downy Woodpecker was busy gathering a meal on a dead branch.
He scraped some kind of insects off the back side, then peaked down into the end.
He sat a moment while looking for his next stop.
Cypress Wetlands, Port Royal, SC
April 14, 2026
Northern Cardinal, Not in a Hurry
Northern Cardinals tend to zip on their way as soon as I spot them. This one stayed put for several minutes while I took some shots.
I wandered away, then back again a few minutes later and he was in the same spot. Based on the duller color and that behavior, I wonder if it is a young male, still figuring life out.
Cypress Wetlands, Port Royal, SC
April 14, 2026
Yellow-crowned Night-heron Grooming
The foliage was dense and I didn’t see any Yellow-crowned Night-herons performing their mating dance but this fellow picked an open spot to work on his feathers.
Cypress Wetlands, Port Royal, SC
April 14, 2026
Black-crowned Night-herons Nesting
We went back to where the Black-crowned Night-herons are nesting at Cypress Wetlands yesterday.
This one was busy preening, standing on one leg with a toenail of the other poking out through his feathers and casting a shadow on his wing.
This pair were working on their nest with the male delivering sticks…
…which the female worked into a perfect spot.
Cypress Wetlands, Port Royal, SC
April 14, 2026
Sun Touched Clematis
Dappled sun lit up the Clematis flowers at my backyard arbor this morning.
The orange spot at about 11 o’clock in this full bloom is a tiny spider.
Backyard
April 12, 2026