A gorgeous announcement of the day this morning at the entrance to Bear Island Wildlife Management Area.
Sun rising over Mary’s Pond
01/24/2018 – Click on image for larger view
Tag Archives: Reflection
Little Blue Heron Passing By
The Alligator never moved.
These were taken January 9th, at the end of a week when we had extreme cold for South Carolina and six inches of snow. Alligators slow their metabolic activity when it gets cold and all they need is to breathe.
The Little Blue Heron waded the entire length of the Alligator, poking in the water as he went, perhaps not even recognizing the gator was there.
Wading Together
Wading birds wade in some pretty dull looking spots. Despite the unattractive mud and decaying vegetation this duo created some interesting reflections.
They were not interacting in an obvious way and surely had no idea they made a lovely circle with their reflections.
They wandered back and forth but never got more than 8 or 10 feet apart.
Below is a wider view of their surroundings.
Click on any image for larger view.
1/9/2018
Pond Reflections 3
The sun was going down behind me and cast a pink glow in the east that reflected on the pond. The Great Blue Herons and Great Egrets were still sorting out their roosts for the night and a number of Cormorants had settled into the trees on the island.
01/16/2018
Pond Reflections 2
Today had none of the brilliance of my last images from these spots: it was grey and few sprinkles of rain had graced us. But the pond was just as still and the reflections as clear.
Our recent cold weather has slowed the nesting activity with only a few herons tending to nests today.
01/10/2018
Click on photo for larger view
Taken with the Sony Alpha 6500, 18-105 Lens, Processed in Lightroom and NIK Color FX Pro 4.
Wild Pig Getting a Drink
I’ve heard stories and read articles about South Carolina’s wild pigs, especially about how destructive they can be and how their population has exploded since the 1980s. Depending on the source they may be referred to as hogs or boars. This is the first one I’ve seen and in quite an unexpected spot: a canal at the edge of an old rice field where I’ve often photographed egrets, herons and alligators.
There is still a little snow around the edges of the ponds, some of the non-moving water is frozen over and the dense grass areas have ice in them. This may have been the best watering spot he could find, even with the mud.
He sauntered away–I’m not sure he could have run if he needed to, being up to his knees in that mud.
Click on any photo for larger view.Â
Fifteen Minutes of Fame: Alligator
A young Alligator has taken to draping himself on a rock quite near the shore of the pond in the rookery. Many local photographers have captured beautiful images with reflections, eye closeups and detail of his stripes over the last several weeks.
I couldn’t resist adding to his fame when the opportunity with these reflections presented itself.
I’m pretty sure the rock has been right there but this is the first time I’ve seen anything but a turtle on it. Some branches hanging over it have shifted, perhaps making it a more appealing perch. Plus, there is no worry about sharing.
Here is another view from a few feet away through the downed branches.
Taken 12/23/2017.
Click on any photo for larger view.Â
Reflective
I’m feeling reflective as we close out 2017 and think about what 2018 will bring.
Happy New Year and thanks for following along!
Great Blue Heron pair working on their nest as seen reflected in the pond below.
Symmetry in the Pond
We see much of the Great Blue Heron nesting and flying action that we witness from the path that runs through the trees on this end of the pond. The pond is a man-made, roughly a rectangle, with a paved path that runs along three sides.
The portrait oriented photo above gives a better sense of the height of the trees, but doesn’t show the width of the pond the way the landscape oriented image does, below (click on image for larger view).
December 22, 2017
Pond Reflections
We changed our plan on Friday and I’m so glad we did. We were going to walk the dike around the old rice fields but after seeing the Great Blue Herons starting to nest on Thursday we headed to the rookery first.
The light was spectacular and the pond was as still as glass.
There was some bird activity but the landscape opportunities were what got my attention.
Click on photo for larger view
Taken with the Sony Alpha 6500, 18-105 Lens, Processed in Lightroom and NIK Color FX Pro 4.