Morning walks at Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.
Beach Walkers
Category Archives: What I Saw
Found On A Walk
So very far from most of this web site…
Just because things can catch your attention, and you have a camera.
Georgetown Harbor, South Carolina.
Fog, part 2
The other day I published a few shots of morning fog taken as we headed towards the big marshes and rice fields. I had forgotten I also took some photos when we first arrived out there.
1) Below is a view looking down a cut between stands of thick grass and reeds. When clear there is usually something hunting along the edge. There were a few ripples in the water but nothing to be seen.
2) The water opens up after a while becoming a large shallow pond. By large I mean the back side could be a mile away. Fog hung low over the reeds, having the Great Blue made for some perspective.
3) Last is the old ‘spoonie’ tree, or what’s left of it. No Spoonbill here but Great Egrets, an Anhinga, and in the water the ever present floating Alligator head. You can’t get many wide shots without a head.
Donnelley, ACE Basin, South Carolina.
Watch Full Hawk
well ! So much for my proof reading skills 🤡
One of the local Red-shouldered Hawks.
This tree sits near a trail we don’t usually take to enter a local swamp. It’s the long way around to everything. This year it’s also been one of the favorite haunts for the Red-shoulders.
I’ve been thinking we are having a great winter for these birds, however maybe that’s just because I usually take a short cut and skip this part of the swamp. It would be funny if they were here the whole time. 😂.
Wet And Foggy Morning
We knew the day would not be all that bright and sunny. However, the wet and fog was unexpected. Mornings like this, especially in the cool fall, I prefer covers over my head.
Below was our greeting at the first open marsh we passed through. I had a mid sized lens, not made for lowlight, on the camera but just went with some shots anyway.
Next is a quick shot, monochrome, of the road we take into this wildlife area. The marsh in the first shot above is on the right when looking down this road.
The left side here is a ‘ghost forest’ now. A swamp filled with dead trees. Encroaching underground salt water is my guess. Ghost forests are becoming common in the Lowcountry.
Last another image of the marsh fog we passed through on the way to the old rice fields. The rice fields start about 3 miles from this spot. As you can see there’s no high speed driving here.
I thought a few general photographs of our drive in would provide some perspective on the Lowcountry swamp/marshland environment.
BTW, it’s probably not a great place to have your car break down. Something we have thankfully avoided so far.
Swans, Black and White
I have read the bigger plantations kept both Swans and Peacocks. They were loud, aggressive, a way for planters to show their wealth.
Middleton Plantation, Charleston, South Carolina.
Bald Eagles Circling A Marsh
A moving target, circling around us. Not a great angle for me. However when you have Bald Eagles swirling and diving you ignore most everything else.
This particular Eagle made several turns and passes over the open marsh area. I did not catch any close dives to the surface though.
The sudden colder weather stunned some fish in the rice fields and marshes. Not a true fish kill, but enough to attract most every type of local predator.
I counted six different adult Eagles. They may have been more, and the dark juvenile Eagles were with the Vultures so I never even tried to count them.
ACE Basin, South Carolina.
Last Of The Blossoms
The first freeze has come here. While we don’t get all that many it only takes one to stop most of the Camellia.
Found on a walk.