The Coast!

After seeing a couple rare birds reported that I need to add to my life list I headed for the coast and that is way out of my 5 mile radius. 

                                        walkway to get to the Jetty and North Beach

Huntington Beach State Park.  I totally forget to get a shot of the entrance sign and couldn't find one online either... It was thundering and a shower of rain had just stopped upon my arrival.  I left home about 6:30 am and it's 129 mile drive.  So it was about 9:30 once I entered the park, found a spot in the parking lot, used the restroom and readied my small pack for the walk down to the Jetty.  It is a 1.5 miles hike one way down the beach to the Jetty...

Finally I got to the Jetty the thunder drew closer but I got lucky and the rain never came...the wind did pick up and it was pretty breezy!  Happy about that it made it feel much cooler. 

At the infinity point the jetty turns left and that is my destination...so altogether the walk is about 2 1/2 miles to get there.  And this is the there Im referring to...this cove and the surrounding area is shore bird nesting area 

This little spit of sand is the perfect spot for terns, since they have small webbed feet they don't really go swimming, they dive, and take off right back to flight.  They do stand in shallow water.

A black tern had been reported and I had hopes of seeing it...I checked this large mixed flock...no black.  But I had royal, sandwich, least, common, and lots of confusing juveniles! 

Mostly royal terns here with Black Skimmers and a few others mixed in...

royal terns on the wing

Least Tern

Juvenile least tern

I listed only 1 common, since this is the only adult I found, I think that one standing behind is an immature but Im not sure so the adult Common Tern  is center front...

And one of my favorite terns the Sandwich Tern

The Black was seen the next day there is only one and he just was not with the majority the day I visited...so I guess a second visit?   Lots of Semipalmated Plover walked down the beach..and they were hanging in the nesting area that is fenced off. 

And another target bird for me, and a LIFER this plover has eluded me over and over, but not this time!

The Wilson's Plover!  And not just one but quite a few of them and the bonus---->

with CHICKS...

Adorable!

This cove has a rounded shape...so I keep going around the curve and found some Ruddy Turnstone picking through the beach "goodies".  

over a small rise to this shallow pool...lots of small shell here. 

And I still don't know what this immature tern will be when he grows up!  What's your best guess...It is a medium sized tern.  This time of year is very challenging to ID gulls, terns, sparrows, and heck nearly all the new arrivals don't look quite like they should yet! 

I'm going to split this post it's way too long, stay tuned for part II. 

PEACE

Every day is a new Adventure.

Lee State Park

June and July HOT, humid, and uneventful.   We locals have to endure it and lacking funds for travel right now we have to make what's close at hand an adventure.  It's been many years since I visited Lee State Park.  We made a fact finding run one day, then my sis and I came back after the holiday to spend some time, hike, picnic, bird, and have a float! There is no admission, and that means the Visitors Center is open for only one hr per day Su-Thur and 11-5 Fri n Sat. 

There is a campground, an equine camp, and a primitive camping area.   The main camp has water n electric and a dump station.  A host was present and those sites are $17 a night, according to the website.  I think you could get a site for one night without a reservation since they have a 2 day limit to make a reservation.  

There is a couple of artesian wells with icy cold water coming out... a great spot to cool off hot feet!

A small wetland is off this short boardwalk we heard common yellow throat singing all around us there...

There is a swimming area and we took a float after a hot walk on the main boardwalk! It is not a long walk, it hooks up with a trail around the ponds also.

Saw the green anole...one of the many lizard species found here

the blue grey gnatcatcher

NO crowds and that is the best part.  The trees are lush and mature this area is a flood plane so a little swampy...and there is def some good birding this Northern Parula came within arms length to check us out.  

A life bird for my sis!  And we both got this county bird the Wood Stork flying up high we spotted 8 all together.

                                                                        

We had a wonderful time and saw 22 species of bird.  

PEACE

Every day is a new Adventure.

here is an aside:

There was a notice posted in the ladies room that I thought was very interesting,...it was about a study done in 2014 by the National Audubon Society at the Beidler National Forest, Dorchester County, SC.  That's in the low country of state.  Prothonotary Warblers were fitted with GPS leg bands.  One of the warblers was recaptured and the leg band was still in place and still working.   It had flown through Florida, Cuba, Central America, down the Pacific coast of Colombia and back to Four Holes Swamp — an odyssey of 4,000 miles.  The study found nearly all of the wetlands birds wintered in a relatively small area of coastal mangrove and inland forests in northern Colombia — an area that is being heavily logged.

This is why Protection of land is soooo important!  Mature woodlands are hard to come by anymore...I wish people who have the resources to bring land back to it's native state would do so because if they don't where are these wonderful birds going to live, nest, find food?

A national forest gets logged, the area in Columbia is being logged...this disturbance could cause the demise of many warblers...yes birds adapt but there is a tipping point.  Large areas HAVE to be set aside and left alone!!

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.