Category Archives: Marsh

Another Family Portrait

A little wet drizzle, but the little guys kept their heads up for a shot.

Anhinga nests were all around the Egrets this year.

The Anhinga are ‘less than pleasant’ animals. Yet I did not see or hear of any issues.

On the far side of this dike is the Ashley River. Water flows back and forth using the same old style trunks from the mid 1600’s.

The flowing water also means fish come and go. Egrets have been here for just as long as the trunk systems, and the fish.

Taken at the back end of Magnolia Plantation, built in 1676.

In multiple articles I have described the dike trails and canals in the marshes as an ‘Alligator Highway’.

I think these photographs can give you a good idea of what I mean.

The shot above was taken from the edge of a marsh canal, across the other side had a local sunning himself.

Passing by were two other gators slowly heading to a larger pond.

This particular marsh is about 18,000 + acres. I can’t image how many Alligators actually live there.

Snowy Egrets have been nesting deep in these Palmetto trees. They come and go fast.

This one stopped and created a racket before jumping in the branches.

I am always impressed at how they move, without moving.

Water around them shows just the slightest motion.

A quiet moment for the Egret.

This doesn’t always end well, this time he climbed back up with no problem.

As they get older the chicks will start to explore or follow an adult.

In this case the young bird went a little too far.

The legs and feet of the wading birds are extremely strong, even at this age. Good thing because they have no clue what is down below.

Here is a local that hangs a few feet off a swamp trail.

They dig around in the mud or dirt on the bank finding ‘stuff’ to chew on. Most of them are only a meter or so long.

As they get bigger it’s safer for them to move out into open water or deeper swamp.