The Yellow-throated Warbler was fun to watch as he worked this tree limb for lunch. And the colors are stunning.
He was closer to the ground than any other song birds we saw this day but unfortunately the angle and lighting did not cooperate for a clear shot.
A number of Great Blue Herons posed in and out of the old rice fields adjacent to the Ashley River last week. The reeds, weeds and bushes along the edge are starting to show that end of summer droop and a hint of color changes.
This Heron was performing what appeared to be a cooling ritual with panting type breathing and his wings at bent angle.
The classic pose, waiting and watching.
This small jetty helped create the splash and served as a seat while waiting for just the right combination of waves and wildlife to come into view.
On this day Pelicans, Gulls and Dolphins were all possibilities to be included in the shot. I need to go back and try again.
Morris Island Light as viewed from Lighthouse Inlet Heritage Preserve at the northeastern tip of Folly Island, SC.
As the waves rushed in it seemed this sandpiper didn’t want to get his feet wet.
Even while probing the sand for food he balanced on one foot.
Lighthouse Inlet Heritage Preserve, Folly Island, South Carolina.
These Wood Ducks swam away from shore, circling around each other in no great hurry, but all the while getting further from me.
And always an eye towards shore.
The duck weed was making interesting patterns in the barely moving water at the edge of the former rice fields.
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This little fellow caught my attention as he flitted in a small tree at the edge of a swamp on the Ashley River at Magnolia Plantation.
Hardly a gnat, his catch was pretty good sized.
The coloring made me think he was a Tufted TItmouse, but in profile I could see he was tuftless and he did have more of a “jaunty” tail, as described by Cornell’s All About Birds.
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White Point Garden, a public park at the tip of Charleston Peninsula, is home to a Night Heron Rookery.
In mid-August the young were on their own, investigating the ground and the limbs of the massive Live Oaks that provide a dappled shade throughout the park.
The parents were less visible and appeared to be sleeping while the young were out exploring, oblivious to the tourists strolling underneath.
I was taken aback when I saw this sign. 2020, how could that be?
That the sign itself looks like a 1920s Art Deco leftover adds to my nostalgic feeling of time passing by. This is compounded by the Riviera box office and the preserved entrance to Silver’s Five and Dime on the same block of King Street.
This class of students will see changes in all facets of their lives over the next four years. Locally, one aspect of this is pointed out by the construction cranes that dot the Charleston peninsula, like this one just a block away from the Welcome sign.
Four years will fly by; we should check back in May of 2020 and tally what we all hope will be a net gain towards progress.
In the mean-time, the C of C’s Sottile Theater is ready to get this year started.
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At least a dozen butterflies were zipping around these purple flowers for what seemed like a great photo op. Just when you are ready to take the shot they often are suddenly ten feet away.
With patience, they might come back.
Or are replaced by one zipping in from another direction.
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Slow and methodical, this Great Blue Heron watched over his swamp.
He flew to the end of the pond as we came along and I got a nice view through the bushes, with just a few pieces of vegetation blocking my shot.
A flexible neck makes it easy to keep an eye out in all directions.
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