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.
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
Maybe if I stand really still she won't see me..,
Great Egret
Butterflies enjoyed these I never knew butterfly liked Canna...and so do frogs!
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...
Canna under the Live Oak..
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.
Hello,
ReplyDeleteI did enjoy your peeks at the Low Country. Great shadow capture too! It is a shame about the hunting. I wonder if your idea for the birders to pay for a license would be accepted. It would be like buying the duck stamps. Awesome sightings, I love all the herons, egrets and the spoonbill. The little frog is cute. Pretty flowers and butterfly. The wrens can be fussy birds. Great photos. Take care, enjoy your day! Happy weekend!
Hi Eileen thanks for your comment, this was a lonnggg post so appreciate you looking and it was a squeeze in to finsh up October. I think birders don't get the respect we deserve because we don't pay, if it means we can get more access I would be willing to pay an entry fee or something Im pretty sure we out number the hunters. Have a spooky weekend..
DeleteThis post gets a big WOW from me.
ReplyDeleteLovely photographs, so pleased you shared them here.
Enjoy these last days of October.
All the best Jan
HI Jan, and thank you kindly...October went fast. I was actually able to go back and squeeze in a final visit before the close for winter. So I guess next week its gonna be part 2.
DeleteLet me try this again so many mistakes.
ReplyDeleteLove all the beautiful birds, flowers and butterfies. Why do they close the parks in the winter does it get that cold there?. I think its wrong to close down for fools with guns who's to say they won't kill more that ducks? Its and ugly sport as far as I'm concerned and you can't trust a fool with a gun.
I completely agree...but it's not just open season they only have it by date as they call it special hunts, they close to give the birds a place to winter without being hunted it's very ironic the hunting is only to appease the conservative population altho I know a few liberals who hunt, not my friends of course. It's a "management" area so they manage. Duck season they will allow some hunts That's why I say if we birders got smart and got together with the DNR and said we want equal time during winter...We will PAY to shot the ducks with our CAMERA if we get equal access meaning we can launch boats, we can use "hides' and we get equal rights!!
DeleteVery enjoyable Sondra and looks like a good day out with lots of different wildlife. Herons in trees always amuse me as they seem so out of place, but its safer nesting there than on the ground.
ReplyDeleteWildfowl shooting is so archaic now as there is no need for it unlike years ago it was done as a food source. But the wildfowlers will always justify it.
An interesting name for the canna lily, the tubers are edible and the whole plant had lots of uses.
HI Dave I agree, at one time there was need, but not now. And while I was there I saw a notice to hunters basically telling them to kill any coyote onsight...because they are "taking our deer" OMG it took me an hour to calm my anger which these days is very hard to control. IN my mind the deer don't belong to them...I have tried to grow Canna in my yard but I think it get's too cold in winter and they freeze...down there in the low country they grow wild. That place is only 60 miles from Savannah, Georgia as the crow flies, so it stays pretty mild there.
DeleteLoved the peek, which totally reminded me of the Low Country I’m more familiar with, in Florida...wonderful birding (finally, after the sad start to your day)...I’m sure glad you persevered and went on to Donnelly and the wonderful things you saw. You see so much and your pictures are great, thank you for sharing it all...so glad you’re feeling better and getting out!
ReplyDeleteHi Sallie, I had a good even tho I had to rearrange my thinking of my plan for the day A little. Any day out in nature is a good day most often. I still have Huntington Beach to visit...and I hope that will be soon. Can't go wrong on the Atlantic Ocean. It's cold today and we may get our first frost tonight. brrrr.
DeleteI have to admit I hate that they can close off an entire reserve to shoot the birds, kind of defeats the object of a reserve doesn't it :/
ReplyDeleteI do love the photos of the Herons, Spoonbills and their kind, they are my favourite birds and it's lovely that you're able to see so many different species of them!
I'm trying to do a post at the moment and Blogger has uploaded all my photos in the wrong order - first time i've had a real issue with this new format! Very frustrating!
Hi Pam, yes I agree, the hunt was for deer...but they will have duck hunting weekends too coming up in Nov. I don't understand it all, it's like they are "managing" the wildlife so it can be sport...I hate it!!
DeleteThe new Blogger is so hard to deal with you have to adjust your font every single paragraph and the photos take forever to load and then they jump all over the place. It took me forever to put in all the photos I wanted to used in this post. Good thing I have my evenings free.