Low Country

It was Tuesday Morning when I got up early and tossed my already prepared lunchables into the cooler for a ride to Bear Island.  It closes on Nov 1st till Feb 8th. Encompassing the entire migrant duck season...so annoying, especially since they hold HUNTS during this time but birders are not allowed in.  Im wondering why haven't we lobbied the DNR to get Special Birding Days?? Birders are so passive sometimes.  Hunters buy a license they buy these tags...so I guess we need to put our money where our mouth is?  We need to form our own lobby I guess?? ABA listen up we need more access!

Sun rising above the cotton fields

Anyways I drove the 3 hrs to find the WMA closed to a special 3 day hunt..they never close on week days but this time they did! Damn. So I flagged down one of the workers, he said yes they don't normally but after this week it goes back to weekends...Some of the arriving ducks will end up dead in the back of a pick up truck.  ANGER

I was only able to scan Mary's Pond which is roadside...a few mostly Mottled Duck some possible Blue winged Teal female in there...I could not get good light on them...and I saw two female Gadwall among them. A few Yellowlegs waded in the shallows...

Same worker told me Donnelley was open it's the sister site which is much more forest they hunt there too and soon both areas will be closed but open to special hunts.   There is a fishing canal on the way to Bear's Island and I always stop there to see what's hanging around, lots of Common Gallinule, or Moorhen as I still call them.   They were weaving in and out of this this Marsh Grass. 

Also present was Snowy Egret, Tri Colored Heron, and Little Blue Heron...

Up in the trees the awesome sounds of the boat tailed grackles brightened my mood as who can't enjoy that?  The ruckus will make you smile no matter if you did get turned away at the gate. 

 the fishing canals

they have  a way of sounding like a train wreck...

After this I drove back about 11 miles to Donnelley...and spent the rest of the afternoon there...

 I was ready to find a spot to eat  lunch so I found a table on the grounds of the "lodge" 

Potato salad under a moss covered live  oak tree...

This Carolina Wren was not happy about me being there....invader alert. 

After that I started my tour by locking the van and walking the road by the rice trunks..me and my shadow (for Eileen) with all the gators, this is why there's not as much birdlife in Donnelley, in the water at least...

each one of those little things in the water is a gator 6 in this shot

This SAFE tree gets a lot of use...

Tri colored Heron, 2 Gr Egrets, a Rosette Spoonbill, 

Farther back on one of the little islands I spotted an immature Black Crowned Night Heron...

And overhead some Wood Stork checking for a good spot to land...

The Great Blue didn't seem bothered he waded out in spite of the flotilla of gators

In the back where it was safer a few American Coots, Common Gallinule, Pied Billed Grebe and two Northern Shovelers were feeding....one male

lone male...

Maybe if I stand really still she won't see me..,

Gr Blue Heron

Great Egret

After leaving this area I was more in the forest and came upon a few fields...and this stand of Wild Canna Lily, or Indian Shot   Do you know where the name came from?  The seeds look like the pellets of shotgun.  

Butterflies enjoyed these I never knew butterfly liked Canna...and so do frogs!

Green Tree Frog

I took one short hike the skeeters were really bad...but I found this Zebra Longwing so happy I did endure the onslaught of bites to see this..he looks like he is worse for wear also...

Saw Palmetto 

Nurse log

Canna under the Live Oak..

Spanish Moss

One of the many canals 

The new Blogger takes twice as long to make a post and it's all over the place, my little icon normally here at the end disappeared and Im not even going to try to get it back in this post....so just pretend it's here with it's points going on the 4 directions of My Life, My Art, My Journey!! 

Hope you enjoyed this peek at some of the Low Country of SC.

PEACE..

Every day is a new Adventure.

New View...

Hey did you guys notice that since the "upgrade" to blogger, in the old posts the photo's have been resized to the Medium size? At least in mine they have.

This is an extra Post this week! This took place on Friday the 23rd but I wanted to get it in before the months end...so 2 posts this week. I Have another one scheduled for Friday's post. 

This week was strange weather wise it got muggy again.  Not as bad as summer mind you but it was there...however on Friday (the 23rd) it was lovely so I went to my old standby spot Sandhills.   I did a couple of short hikes, and drove to my favorite spots to look for birds, and found a few to report. 

Tates trail...

There was a lot of geese in 3 different locations around the refuge I was happy to see.  

PLAY

The fall color keeps getting a little better each visit but I did notice a lot of trees have already dropped their leaves while others are still green.  

Some Hickory trees show off

One Prairie Warbler came up as Rare on ebird this time of year....I was happy to get a shot of it still not confirmed, while ones without photos were confirmed! Sometimes I think if the reviewer knows you, the outcome is different.  Not that it's important really but during these times when so much corruption is going on, do we really need it in ebird too????? 

Song Sparrows have begun to show up finally...I have missed their crazy darts for cover, then they creep up to take a look at you...lol 

Play

They built a new viewing platform, its not all that new but I just found out how to get to it! This is the same lake that has the photo blind on the other side...I could not see the photo blind that area does not have an opening to view the opposite bank...I Also noticed the wild life camera Make sure you look around before you go behind a bush.  Big Brother is watching.   

I always enjoy watching Belted King Fisher this one was pretty far out in the pond...but I could hear him as he soared off his perch and made his crazy dives into the water for a meal..

The wild flowers are slowly being replaced with the brown of fall...but still some surprises out there to find...

This park goes through burns regularly.  I noticed while hiking many of the charcoal trees look like sculpture.  Here's a few I enjoyed looking at...

Mays Lake was so calm good reflections....

Eastern Fence Lizard

The trees had such beautiful light behind this small flock of geese...

The last week of October is here...and then before we know it the year will end...

If I were to do a highlights post of this year Im afraid it would be a dismal read so that is not going to happen...hopefully we will be about celebrating a better year for 2021. 

OH and Have a Safe Hallow's Eve..

PEACE

Every day is a new Adventure.