This was one of the first encounters of the day.
Doesn’t get much better.
Great Blue Heron
All posts by Ted Jennings - TPJ Photography
A Little Sunrise
A great way to start a day out in the marshlands.
Yeah, it’s another best viewed large.
French Huguenot Church, Charleston SC
So much history in this one scene.
The Church.
- The church congregation was founded in 1680 after leaving France. The current building is from 1844.
- Silver Paten and Chalice were donated to the Strawberry Chapel at old Childsbury in the early 1700’s.
- The only independent Huguenot Church in the US. The building is located in the French Quarter of Charleston.
The Window
- The framed window is located on the second floor of the Dock Street Theater, French Quarter Charleston.
- Dock Street is the oldest theater group, and theater in the US. The first opera and running plays were from Dock Street Theater. Plays and concerts are still ongoing.
- This building was also the Planters Hotel in the civil war era. The well known rum drink ‘Platers Punch’ originated here.
135 Church Street, Charleston, South Carolina.
Found On A Dirt Road Trunk
This particular trunk is on a road most always closed off a bit further on. I think this water gate here regulates miles of marshlands. It’s a road easy to miss unless you know where it leads.
Taking the short trip down to the trunk usually gives an opportunity to photograph smaller wading birds. Fiddler crabs, by the millions, are on this cut.
When I walked towards the trunk I immediately missed all kinds of opportunities. Small and large Herons flew in all directions.
This Snowy did not, and gave me a chance not to leave empty handed.
A bigger surprise was the smaller Kingfisher watching from top of the trunk arms. Usually they are the first to leave. I didn’t walk any closer, it was obvious they had food here. No other reason to stay with me around.
Hurricane Ian had dropped some trees so I went back the way I came.
Besides, there was still the strange cloud cover around for landscape shots.
Egret, Spoonbill, In A Marsh
There wasn’t much light here. The birds were in a deep cut with tall reeds and a steep bank. There was no way I would pass this up though.
The young Roseate Spoonbill paid no attention to the Snowy. He just moved around him poking through the water.
They both keep an eye on me. I was even of less importance.
This is a good example of what you can found out in the Basin wildlife areas. Like any place some days are better than others, but how can you beat this… it was a slow day too LOL.
Sunrise Bear Island
On my own out in the marshes yesterday I saw an amazing dawn coming, and was still in the car. Worse I was 2 miles from the dirt causeway into the marsh. No place in between to see the horizon.
What were the chances this would stick around that long!
A front came in, I made it halfway down the open dirt road with this scene in front of me.
It went on for miles, the clouds working the sun for much longer than I thought possible.
Using, and carrying, two cameras is a bit much. However lately I have a second Canon 7D2 nearby. It worked out pretty good yesterday.
I did not see another person for hours, and 10 miles away. I guess this was a private show 😂.
ACE Basin, South Carolina.
The ‘Old Man’ Of The Marsh
They walk slow, hunched over, and plod along. A bald head and wrinkles complete the picture.
They have been called ‘old men’ out in the marshes.
However, even the Alligators tend to give them space. Maybe they should be called ‘cranky old men’.
Wood Stork, ACE Basin, South Carolina.
Strawberry Graveyard
Note; long read with images and history ‘you can touch’.
All the old churches and chapels provided gravesites to their congregation. Strawberry was no exception. The current owners of the property, the Ball family, have generations buried here.
(Edward Ball published a best seller titled ‘Slaves In The Family‘ a biographical historical account of the family history and a narrative of the slaves that were here . The Ball family opened the chapel to a small group the day these photographs were taken).
Catherine Chicken, great-granddaughter of James Child founder of the settlement once here, is said to have suffered grave abuse in the chapel’s churchyard as a young girl in 1748. At age seven, Catherine was sent to board with her French schoolmaster, Monsieur Dutarque. Catherine was in trouble for not completing her chores when the schoolmaster found her outside chasing her pet turtle around. When he asked her why she had not completed her chores, she told him she just wanted to be outdoors. Dutarque was enraged and thought he would punish his student by tying her to a tombstone and leaving her there for a brief period of time. If she wanted to be outdoors he would ensure she stayed outdoors. He only intended for this to last a short period of time but forgot and left her there into the night. (SC Picture Project).
Of course over time this turned into a mythical ghost story. Truth is she was rescued during the night, the headmaster ‘punished’ and sent packing. Catherine later married a plantation owner, had a family, and ultimately was buried near Middleburg Plantation.
Above is the ‘receiving tomb’ and vaults of the Harleston family, related to the Ball and Coming families. All plantation owners along the Cooper River and near Strawberry.
The church yard is closed, behind old high brick walls to protect the historical site. The Ball family has kept this property private for 297 years and does not accept any government funding preventing any outside influences.
Next week the Chapel will be open for a service, baptism, and a family style picnic. After then the grounds will be closed until the traditional Christmas service.
