Passing Through Ding Darling

Last time I went through Ding Darling, I spent a lot of time there and was privileged to view a wide variety of birds.  I felt especially privileged to see and photograph a large contingent of Roseate Spoonbills, who seemed to be just waiting for us to arrive and in no hurry to leave.  Not so lucky this trip.  However, I was lucky enough to witness several other species which I had not seen before, and was especially happy to capture this osprey keeping watch while his mate fed their young.

 

I also saw some cormerant, anhinga, white and brown pelican, gopher turtle, great blue heron, small blue heron, hooded merganzer, red breasted merganzer, egret, ibis, red bellied woodpeckers, tourists, and the ever present noseeum's (nasty critters).

 

Reports going in were not looking good, and the place was a bit slow, as are most of the bird breeding habitats right now.  At least, the ones I've been to.  I'm guessing water level has something to do with it.  Water is kind of low right now, even though it is raining as I speak.  I'll bet this guy is happy about that.

In spite of all that, it was a rewarding short drive through the habitat and glad we made the trip.

I'll probably be back here before I leave south Florida.

Pinkney Island

Pinkney Island NWR is a salt marsh located in Beaufort County, South Carolina, just outside of Hilton Head. My friend, Kelly, told me about this place. She heard I was going to Savannah, Ga and this was on the way and one of her favorite places, so I told here I'd stop and check it out. It's a beautiful place and well kept, but, unfortunately, there weren't many birds about, which is what I expected to see.

One of the destinations on the island is the Ibis Pond, (above image) which is the site of a major heronry. All manner of heron and egret breed here in late spring, and though I did see one Great Egret, hiding in amongst the growth, it was not photographable. I did see a lot of small birds flying about, none of which I can identify, save a sparrow, and there were lots of black and turkey vultures in the sky. I also saw a number of Moorhen floating about and was surprised to note their near proximity to the alligator.

Other fascinating creatures in the Ibis Pond include the American Alligator, several of which were sunning themselves on the banks, and though they were not immediately obvious as I strolled about, their presence became a source for my continuous attention, once identified.  They look so docile and harmless, just lying about so motionless.  I know better.
I'll look forward to another visit to Pinkney Island, hopefully on my return north and then it will be filled with birds.

Raptor, Inc. News

Cindy Alverson bringing out Sylvester (Great Horned Owl) for photographers.

Got a real nice email from Dan Gallagher of Raptor, Inc. letting me know what a great year they had with our cooperation.  I'm not sure how much they profited from the calendar we helped with, but, added to this, I'm sure they made over $1,000.00 from all our efforts and that doesn't even include all the donations that we collected at our meet ups.  Here's Dan's email:

 

"Hey Rick!!!!

Just wanted to touch base with you and thank you. After the dust settled Raptor Inc received a total of $950. From what you gave us $700 and what others made as a donation and some memberships. That does not include any of the people that might have joined after they left. It was a great success and hope your people enjoyed it as much as ours did. Hopefully we can continue this is the future. I will post a thank you on our facebook page. I also saw your facebook and web page post. It is the Ohio Valley Camera Club correct.

Thanks Again

Dan"

I have just emailed Dan with a list of proposed dates for the upcoming seasons, and this year we're going to open things up to the general public.  Sign ups will be on Ohio Valley Camera Club and I will post here when they are confirmed and the event sign up sites are finished.  Proposed dates are as follows:

May 6
May 13
May 20
May 27
September 30
October 7
October 14
October 21

We will also be doing the calendar for Raptor, Inc. again this year.  I still have to clear the particulars with Cindy, Dan, and the rest of the folks at Raptor, Inc., but this year we're going to try and come up with some sort of a grand prize for the winner who will be adorning the front cover of the calendar.

Visit all the Raptor, Inc. educational birds online.

You may volunteer to work at Raptor, Inc., sponsor a banded bird, or make a donation by going to their home page.