Santee Bluff

My week started on Sunday.  I tossed back n forth the idea of going to some birding hotspots and in the end decided to go to Santee Bluff Unit.. this is a photo from a different trip I forgot to snap a photo of the sign

The Visitors Center sits on the shore of Lake Marion, it's currently closed...and has been since the era of Covid, since it was always staffed by volunteers....
 I was amazed at how many Double Crested Cormorants were in the water...

  

A feeding freenzy - and in the mix the  huge American White Pelican

 I saw something just as thrilling to me, the Purple Martins! 3 were buzzing around the Martin Housing

You are not allowed to drive to the birding area where I wanted to go so it's a hike..

But there is plenty to see along the way....like this Northern Flicker..

And then once out of the woods trail you enter the big open space of the fields where a pair of Red Shouldered Hawks were screaming as the circled overhead...



 Finally I arrive at the ponds are about a  mile walk from the woods trail...

along the way I get a look at one of the March Madness Challenge birds, the Eastern Meadowlark...

The first pond I call the Coot pond, 

And there's normally some Common Gallinule also...

I wanted to make this visit while some wintering ducks are still here...They were, but very distant so close up looks did not happen.   However it was a nice day high 70's with drifting clouds...and a light breeze that sometimes gusted...it's not exactly greened up yet but soon it will be.

The  ducks were unsettled and kept taking to the air...mostly Green Winged Teal...but also present was Blue Winged Teal, Ring Necked Duck and a few Shoveler.

Green Winged Teal

a pair settles  in the back

Blue Winged Teal

Ring Necked Duck

I was happy to find about 7 Northern Shoveler the last  of the  March Madness Challenge birds, and this one got semi close enough for a photo..

Also is the Ring Necked Duck in the back and in the middle the lone Ruddy Duck I saw...

The Shoveler had a female with him...(center)

This tree is the heron nesting tree..

And each nest was occupied..

Great Blue Heron well hidden on the nest. 

There was only one Pied Billed Grebe in the mix. 

On the way back to the Van, I noticed all these Yellow Jasmine flowers on the ground they have grown up the trees and bloomed up in the canopy..

And for your viewing pleasure...a short video of the Cormorants and Pelicans...

the sharp call you hear is the Purple Martin I was standing nearby him..

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op ed 

What is wrong with a world where we stand by and watch innocent people be murdered just to appease the ego of a maniac?  

PEACE

Every day is a new Adventure.