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!
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| 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.
