Rookery

Last Friday I checked on the Eagle chick SOLO, he is hanging out at the nest, all seems well from this distance..

He may be without other Eagles but he has friends to keep him company..,
On Saturday I drove to a neighboring county and along the way I happened to see out of the corner of my eye this pond...all that white stuff in the trees is Great Egrets on Nests!  There was a chain across the entrance and it is posted by a Hunt Club, no one was around so I did trespass long enough to snap a few photos...

I spotted at least 35 on nests and that was only a guess as some of the pond was not visible from my location...

Check out the beautiful blue eggs they have, in reading up on it, 25-27 days incubation so I have to return about 1st week of May to see YOUNG ones! 

Normally they build higher off the ground  some of these are quite low  they are surrounded by water that may be the difference...I don't think Raccoon would get at them in the water?
I know some water  snakes may try for sure...

I read that both sexes help with incubation of the eggs...and they both help with the feeding of the chicks...by regurgitating.

I also saw a large number of Anhinga possibly they are nesting here also along with Gallinule.   

This is such a treat to see...a Rookery right by a busy highway too....

Some Wood duck were also nesting

                                                                      Male Wood Duck

                                                                          Common Gallinule

I drove on to Lake Wallace, and someone had been feeding Mallard, and these American Coots decided they could do with a handout so they came rushing out of the water,,,,

Then they rushed right back into the water...lol

A nice Pied Bill Grebe came close by ,,,still I didn't get a sharp image, I'm  trying to figure out the Camera I purchased, I wasn't sure I'd actually keep it, I've had a hard time getting used to it, even tho it's just the next year up from the one I've been using.  I will keep it but I continue to learn how to use it.  I think I could benefit from using a tripod,  Birds in the trees still have to be hand held.  For the video capability alone it is worth the price I paid for it.  The Menu is so huge and getting things set up- the way I want has been a big learning curve for me, it is a point n shoot 4K Panasonic Lumix FZ-80.  I've missed some great shots as it focused on the background and not the bird I had clearly in the focus area...So anyways keep trying eh?

I made one more stop at the Greater Pee Dee Heritage Preserve.  It's just over into the neighboring county of Darlington.  Heard a lot of birds overhead...and the cool forest canopy was very enchanting! There was skeeters tho! The first part is a drive thru a swamp.  

And found these beautiful lilies in the edge of the woods..

The road continues on to the Great Pee Dee River as far as I could tell but I had to turn back as the day was getting late and I have 3 doggies waiting on me at home..

 I hope I can come back and continue to explore the road goes I read a flood washed out the little bridge and the road beyond that may not be passable,  Since it's been dry lately, getting stuck may not be an issue...so I will  return to see what the deal is!

Here is another little look at the Rookery Pond. 

That's all I have for this post...be safe but stay engaged in life.  

PEACE

Every day is a new Adventure.

DO-OVER

If you recall our kayak paddle on the nearby Goodale State Park lake a couple weeks back was interrupted with a deluge...so we had to get outta there fast or be swamped with water in our crafts...so we got an opportunity to go back last weekend. 

                                                                  calm waters no rain

Wouldn't you know it was the same time Hurricane Dorian was hitting the Bahamas and predicted to come to our area so the State Park officials decided to lower the levels of the park lakes including ours!  So on That Friday the lake level had already been lowered by 2 and 1/2 feet! See the water level mark here on these Cyprus trees

But notice all the white dots in the trees!! Great Egrets, immature Little Blues, Wood Stork,  all dotting the trees as the lake grew smaller.  

white ibis 

A drained pond leaves MUD and lots of it, so we dragged our kayaks in this manner to the pond...this is not us but some other strong women who would not take mud for an answer...

immature little blue heron 

great egrets and wood storks 

imm. little blue herons 

anhinga 

Other wildlife was puzzled and on the move as the water level continued to drop...this American Alligator was seeking deeper water...

great egret 

This combo includes 2 Great Egret, one Wood Stork, and the tiny guy just barely in the shot lower left of center, a Spotted Sandpiper!

....and this Least Sandpiper hangs with a flock of Killdeer..

killdeer 

We continued to see the lake bottom, and so we made the decision to get out of the lake before the shoreline receded more...

SO it was a challenge getting our boats of the water and back on the boat racks, this is as Sis noted a self service place! They unlock it for you and that's it, you have to get it off the rack, launch it, bring it in put it back on the rack and lock it up...We would love to go again, hopefully under ideal paddling conditions! 3rd times a charm right?

Our Summer birding season is officially over, now the hope is to catch some migrating birds....I'm up to a count of 119 In my radius as of Aug 31, and added one more since then... our September challenge is "how many shorebirds can you find in your radius."  This mud helped me with that 3 so far!  AND I moved this park to a tie for #1 hotspot in my county!  

PEACE

Every day is a new Adventure.

Go Fly A Kite!

I found this cool machine so I ordered one! It's a handy charging unit for 110 electric things, has Power sockets for DC charging, and it has USB charging, it will jump a dead battery, and it will inflate a tire, and it's rechargeable. When it will not charge you can buy replacement battery for it around $60.  SO this is cheaper than a 100 watt solar system I was considering and I will get about the same results. So one is on the way I'll have to let you know how it goes.  I got it from Amazon.  I really don't want to attach solar panels to my van since I'm not traveling all the time...this I can carry when I need it and when I don't it can store in the shed. Although it is a great emergency tool also. Check it out here DieHard

I Had a day trip on the 9th...Like I mentioned I'm keeping my eye on the ebird alerts just in case something interesting pops up that I can go hunt for....but this one I actually found on Birding in SC Facebook group I follow, a guy posted some awesome shots he took at Bear Island.  I have posted about Bear Island WMA  (wildlife management area) maybe a few times before on this blog.  It's about 2 1/2 hrs south down the dreaded I-95 to the Low Country.  I kinda decided to go last minute.  AND amazing we've had a couple days of lower humidity so it was windows down all the way south!

Spanish moss on the trees

I arrived about 11:30 am the breeze hung around till about 1:30 then it began to warm up but I still had a nice day out.  Some mosquitoes, and 2 ticks attacked me!  My skin is still crawling!   

At the Kiosk, you sign in and there's a comment card....'More Birding Access Please' was my comment...every time I go here it's locked gates and the reeds are so tall there is no place to view the open water,  the old rice fields...just a wee bit of mowing, maybe a boardwalk...throw us birders a bone please, they cater to the hunters, and yet we birders  get no special treatment. They plow tracks and plant crops to bring in geese, and ducks that over winter here that is for the hunters, because in the fall they close the main gate to anyone except hunters with special permits!  Who knows my comment may help.  It's a fantastic place but the drives are always gated and locked so you don't get to cover as much ground as you'd like.  I took one long hike to find the majority of the waterfowl at the Pecan Tree Road area, hench the ticks! shudder

Eastern Kingbird

The water level is controlled by these canals and wood structures called trunks...

they can open and close them

these roseate spoonbills look like cotton candy up on these posts...

The pink is already beginning to fade as breeding season passes...

a good look at the underside of that awesome spoonbill

The wood storks were feeding even farther away so I was happy when a few flew over me way up high so this is cropped...but it's cool to see the underside too!

Anhinga were scattered here and there and this one flew over me too...see his big webbed feet...

This moorhen,  (common gallinule) came prancing across the road...

Showing off her big green feet!

This shot was quite distant and right out in the bleaching sun, but check it out...I call this Standing Room Only!

L > R We have Royal Tern, Laughing Gull, Forster's Tern, Ring Billed Gull, Great Egret, Ring Billed Gull. 

Saw some Tri-Colored Herons out there too 

There's an ocean of sweet grass here...and if you have ever visited Charleston SC you know the awesome work of the Gullah, descendants of long ago slaves from Africa who settled on the barrier islands of SC.  They have their own language, culture, and they're artisans with great talent passed down through generations. 

Times were that as you drove down to the low country on the old tarmac you would see self made 3 sided roadside stands and in those would be the women weaving their sweet grass baskets and  all displayed for sale. I purchased such a basket many yrs ago...and I still have it.  I imagine you might find a few stands still around, but most artists take their arts n crafts down in the Market Place in Charleston.  That is a fun thing to do if you find yourself footloose in that lovely city.  One that now is becoming overcrowded and heavy with stalled traffic.  

In the above photo do you see just down from center a little rock looking thing in the water?  I did too, so I zoomed in...hello!

Just a young one about 2 ft long, I didn't see any large adults this time...wonder where they were?...another reason I don't like having to wade thru tall sea grass to get to the water's edge to see the birds.

This is one viewing platform on the  refuge...

It's right by the road so I've never seen anything in this area, maybe a Great Blue Heron or some coots on occasion.   It is a beautiful view tho...

One cool thing about trying to see over the grass is seeing all these dragon flies sitting up like pinwheels on the stems....I found 11 in this one photo!  The air was thick with them!

This one caught my eye..especially the red dots on the wing tips...

And the name is even more eye catching, its a Halloween Pennant, (Celithemis Eponina Drury)

Avocet 

These 4 showed up and I can't figure why ebird said it's rare...beause I've never been here without seeing Greater and sometime Lesser Yellow Legs too...hmmm  This is Greater yellow legs in breeding plumage note the barring across the flanks and down onto the belly 

WAY up high had 4 Mississippi Kites...Only one got close enough for a photo...and I had to crop it to even show this to you 

And along with those 4 was the bird I went down to find, it is not rare they do breed here but I had never seen one so now I have...

also a heavy crop of the lifer........Swallow Tailed Kite! 

And what a beauty!!  An amazing flyer!  Easy to see where he got the name...

He swooped...he tucked and dove....

#447

And then swiftly flew far away!  Another day spent out in nature, my Savior!

PEACE

Every day is a new Adventure.