The sunrise show was fleeting on this morning at the end of October but the sky phenomenon of the light rays was pretty interesting.
We jumped back into the car and continued on to where we thought we might see some birds, arriving about twenty minutes later. The bird show didn’t last long, either, as flocks of birds took to the sky as the day lightened.
October 30, 2020
Bear Island Wildlife Management Area, SC
Strutting his stuff, a Snowy Egret chose to walk across the road rather than fly, their usual mode if moving more than a foot.
Poking around in the grass he fluffed up.
Then turned and went back from where he came–no snack, no action, just strutting around.
Long-tailed Skipper Butterfly was one of at least five butterfly species I saw on November 13 at Donnelley Wildlife Management Area.
All in, these smaller butterflies took full advantage of the tubular Morning Glory blossoms.
There was some competition, including a number of bees as the morning warmed up.
Also seen November 13, 2020
A beautiful Snowy Egret zipped by me with a nice background of fall looking grasses.
A Black-crowned Night-heron was perched on the edge of one of the trunks that controls water flow from this pond to the marsh on the other side of the road. The hunting is often very easy near the trunks as small fish gather in the moving water which attracts a whole food chain.
Cloudless Sulphur Butterfly was one of at least five butterfly species I saw on November 13 at Donnelley Wildlife Management Area.
There were actually dozens of them along the road, zipping in and out of the Morning Glories.
Zoom in on this last image and you’ll see some sort of a multi-segmented insect between the two Morning Glory blooms that I did not see at the time.
Also seen November 13, 2020
I did not see what made the ripples in the water, although a lot of fish were jumping. The water was too deep for the Great Egret to wade out there, he had to be content with hunting the edges.
This Northern Mockingbird gave me a full photo-shoot opportunity.
He executed several turns as he surveyed the marsh below him.
Mockingbirds are very common and easy to overlook with rather a drab appearance. Their spunkiness makes them stand out.
Gulf Fritillary was one of at least five butterfly species I saw on November 13 at Donnelley Wildlife Management Area.
As the morning warmed up more of them appeared.
The bank between the dike road and the big pond which has a variety of wild flowers and scrubby vegetation was attracting a lot of action.
Finally, a closed-wing view, showing off the underside of the Fritillary’s wing. Look close and you’ll see some fly action on the yellow blossom.
Also seen November 13, 2020
A Juvenile Black-crowned Night Heron biding his time until the tide receded so he could more easily hunt.
