I can always tell when we get busy because my record keeping here on the site gets sloppy. I know this small bird was not in a usual location…that much I remember.
The Spanish Moss says swamp, but the tree is marsh. Best I just say this was in the Lowcountry, South Carolina.
This is Soldiers Ground, a military cemetery.
I found a plaque in the grass that I have passed any number of times. It described this section of land, in old Magnolia Cemetery.
The land was appropriated by the Confederate State Of America as a burial ground for military personnel lost in battle. I had assumed it was something like that.
Magnolia Cemetery is the resting place for many old Charleston families and as such there are military grave sites all through out the old sections. Not just Civil War, but all wars. Given the age of the cemetery and location the number of CSA graves is not surprising.
Solidiers Ground is not just South Carolina natives. A walk through the stones shows military members from all over the CSA.
A stroll through old Magnolia is a history lesson.
A pod of Dolphin were feeding up near the mouth of a river. Pelicans will work the same waters getting fish as they flee the Dolphins.
This bird was late to the party.
This is what you get when one Alligator decides to ‘profile’, growl, and claim territory. An answer. The first article (click here to view) displayed a large male starting the whole thing.
Alligators answered his challenge all around the marsh, including this one close by that I had not even seen.
I was under one of the few trees, in the shade. This one I guess was just down the bank a little ways, getting shade too.
His response was pretty loud, scared this poor Redwing right out of the brush.
I don’t think he was aware of me either since as soon as I moved to get a better angle he came towards us.
I have seen this before, it is instinct. A competitor called out, he came towards movement. Pretty simple. It didn’t help that other Alligators around were still profiling loudly.
Click, or double tap, any image below to view the gallery.
I had to lean out over the water to get this last shot, the Alligator was done now… forgot all about the calls. There was a poor Night Heron sitting a short distance from this Alligator. He never moved a muscle, froze in place. He was still there when we moved away.
Like a Christmas Tree done in pink.
A wide long shot in low light is always problematic. Few of the photographs from this set amounted to anything, shooting very slow.
Here the Egret walked into the scene and slowed down just enough to get this one.
Magnolia Cemetery, Charleston, South Carolina.
I tend to move by this part of the swamps. When I do look around there is plenty of the ‘little guys’ here.
A Green Anole, also known as a Carolina Anole.
And of course the Dragon Fly is everywhere. I know there are hundreds of species, I just don’t know them. They are much larger in the marshes, and billions of them. I sometimes think they are Hummingbirds.
