I grew up near beaches and I like them okay, though I prefer marshy land near beaches, which have more interesting birds.
Beach sunsets are pretty fine! I do love Hilton Head.
But I really love mountains and always have. I looked forward to visiting Chattanooga, where my paternal grandmother lived, each summer so we could look at streams, go through tunnels, and drive along the Blue Ridge Mountains.
As an adult, I’ve treasured my visits to other mountains in all weather. There are really good birds, too, and each area is so different! if I were rich, I’d head right over to Breckenridge and hike and snowshoe and be just fine. Or maybe Ruidoso, since it’s in another state I love.
Sedona, also fine rocks.
Just dreaming. I’m here in Texas looking at a small hill. At least I have all these birds!
Look. I finally took bird photos you can identify as birds. Eastern Phoebe.
Off topic, but I enjoyed watching a huge flock of Brown-headed Cowbirds roosting and then departing en masse this morning. I had the good camera (Cameron EOSR5 Mark II) and telephoto lens in the birding area. Distance shots are from the phone camera.
So many birdsGood camera viewClick to enlarge—you can see each bird!Bye!Supervisor
I also dragged the camera to the Wild Wings Bird Sanctuary to practice close-ups. I got lots of chickadees and titmice at the feeders and a few others. I think a couple are pretty good. At least you can see details on them. I’m gonna practice this week so my camera muscles will be all strong for next weekend. Anyway, here are cute titmice.
I can’t choose between these two Both are my favorite Eating
And here are just a few Carolina Chickadees. They pose well.
I also got a couple of nice shots of water dripping into the birdbath. Look carefully and you will see many honeybees from the nearby hives.
I took lots of photos of new Wildscape plants, but that will be in a Master Naturalist blog. But here are a couple of insects!
Painted ladyFunereal duskywing Honeybee and carpenter beeGulf Fritillary Honeybee hiding in salvia Another fritillary
So, whee. Mountains are great, but no matter where you are, there are birds, insects, and plants to explore.
I recently spent two weeks at Hilton Head Island. I usually spend a few weeks there each year. I go for plants and birds, not golfing and restaurants (except Hudson’s, where I must eat cluster oysters on every visit). I have been there in all seasons, which has given me a good perspective on finding interesting birds.
Brown Pelican
Hilton Head Island is a place where lots of wealthy people live in gated communities that visitors will never see. But there’s plenty of space available to non-residents who want to marvel at the old-growth hardwood forests, the endless estuaries and marshes, freshwater and brackish ponds, and the beaches teeming with life (outside of tourist areas). There will be some surprises on this list, even for experienced birders, I hope.
Great Egret near the condo I stay in.
1. Pinckney Island National Wildlife Refuge
Technically, this is not on Hilton Head Island, but it’s darned close. This entire island is the wildlife refuge, and visitors can walk or bicycle on trails along the entire island. The inland trails are as magical as the beach and marsh areas.
White Ibises
The highlight of any trip is a visit to the Rookery pond. I’ve never seen it without dozens of birds roosting, eating, breeding, and making lots of noise. In the winter there are White Ibises, and in April and May, Great Egrets roost there. On my last visit in early May, the babies were popping their fuzzy white heads out for all visitors to coo over.
You’ll see pretty much every kind of heron or egret you can think of (I haven’t seen a Reddish egret there), along with Common Gallinules, ducks, and songbirds (there are cattails, so of course there are Red-winged Blackbirds on them).
Tricolored Heron
Many warblers drop by during migration season, as well as buntings and all kinds of songbirds, so you’ll have your hands full photographing and writing bird sightings down!
Red-winged Blackbird
Don’t forget to keep an eye out for alligators in the ponds, especially young ones that blend in with the reeds very well. I’ve seen rabbits, deer, armadillos, and other wildlife on the more remote parts of the island. There is a page on the preserve’s website that lists all the bird, plant, and animal species seen there, with photos. This is a great reference.
A nice, healthy gator
If you go birding in only one place, this is the place to go. And it’s free! Note the lack of restrooms and water. Be prepared. Right over the bridge are gas stations, though.
This is another prized spot for birders. There are many ponds and swampy areas, so you’ll see songbirds and shorebirds there. When I was last there, an Osprey nest was right next to the Fish Island parking area, with babies visible to patient observers.
Osprey next
One thing I enjoy about the birds around here is that they aren’t shy. I nearly walked into a Great Blue Heron who was neither concerned about me or the large alligator about ten feet away from it.
Yep, it was close.
It pays to keep your eyes open in the preserve. One time I was walking on one of the trails and found a woman on a bicycle, stopped in her tracks. There was a very small copperhead snake basking in the sun on the trail. I reassured the woman that the snake would not attack her and that she could just get on her bike and ride past it. She didn’t believe me, so I carefully walked around it (as far away on the path as possible, of course). When I didn’t die, she managed to get past it. So, don’t play with the snakes and alligators, and give them a wide berth. You’ll be fine.
The actual snake
The boardwalks and trails provide great opportunities to see interesting plants, like jack-in-the-pulpit and native orchids, and there are a Native American shell ring and an old rice field to explore as you enjoy birding. It’s usually not very crowded, and if you do run into people, they may well be friendly fellow birders who can tell you’re using Merlin Bird ID (happened to me).
Vanishing Swamp
Sea Pines Forest Preserve Admission to Sea Pines is $9, but it’s going up. Cash only. The easiest way to get there is take S Forest Beach drive until you come to a gate where you have to pay. You must arrive by car. I tried walking. Nope. Restrooms are at the Fish Island picnic area.
Wood Stork
3. Fish Haul Beach
This is also Mitchellville Beach, or they’re right next to each other. We got here by searching for Mitchellville. Here’s what the website says about it:
Nestled in Bay Gall, one of Hilton Head Island’s historic Gullah neighborhoods, Fish Haul Beach is perhaps one of the hidden gems on the Island. This beach overlooks Port Royal Sound and is perfect for those seeking a quiet get-a-way for walking, bird watching and resting.
The only negative thing I can say about this place is that it is VERY close to the airport, so expect airplane noise. What not to expect will be crowds. This area is absolutely gorgeous, and since the beach has live oyster beds, snails, fiddler crabs, and other delicacies shore birds enjoy, you are likely to see many more shore birds than at Coligny.
Conveniently, there are walking trails in the adjacent wooded area and a boardwalk across a beautiful marsh where you’ll find all kinds of songbirds. Depending on the time of year, you’ll run into many sparrows or warblers. In May I encoungered Painted and Indigo Buntings.
The sandbars and sea life make this a place you could explore for hours, though it’s not all that big. It may not be easy to find, but it’s worth it to see this calmer, more residential part of the island. Be sure to visit some of the Gullah sites while you’re there.
Fish Haul Beach Park 124 Mitchelville Road Hilton Head Island 29926 Paid parking is $3 an hour. Restrooms available.
4. Audubon Newhall Preserve
This 50-acre spot is easy to find, since there are signs on Pope Avenue directing you to it. At times the preserve can be pretty popular, but try visiting in mid-winter and you’ll have the place and its residents all to yourself. There’s no bad time to visit, though, as all my photos of the pond in different seasons will demonstrate.
These were taken many years apart.
The Audubon Society on the island has done a great job with this place. There are labels on many of the plants, and they’ve done some planting of interesting species as well.
Gray Catbird at feeder
Birds just love the area, and you can see anything you want, even owls at the right time of day. Bluebird houses, an owl house, and a bird feeding station are part of the avian attraction, for sure. Listen for the many woodpeckers and watch for overly friendly Black Vultures.
Visitors can wander around the pond or be more adventurous and head through the trails that meander through the pine woods. There’s also a boggy boardwalk over a “pocosin,” where you can sometimes see deer.
Check the website for information on guided walks and other events. The website also has a checklist on eBird.
Audubon Newhall Preserve 55 Palmetto Bay Road, Hilton Head Island, SC Admission is free, but it’s kind to give a donation
5. Jarvis Creek Park and Coastal Discovery Museum at Honey Horn
These two are next to each other and easy to cover in one visit, so I lumped them together. Both places are just great for birding and beauty.
Jarvis Creek Park contains a nice stretch of the creek where you can find many birds in a natural setting along pretty paths with bridges across wet areas. That is my favorite part of the park, even though there was a very large tree across the path one time I visited.
For the less adventurous, there’s a very well maintained trail around the central lake, which is stocked with large fish. This is a very popular city park, with lots of walkers, dogs on leashes, and cyclists. It’s also right off the main highway on the island, so you’ll experience traffic noise. Nonetheless, birds are everywhere and the area is beautifully maintained.
Little Blue Heron on the lake
You can take a trail to the Coastal Discovery Museum at Honey Horn from Jarvis Creek Park. The museum (a Smithsonian offshoot) goes over the history and biodiversity of the area, so be sure to go inside and learn about local birds there (and if you’re lucky see live horseshoe crabs or turtles). There are a butterfly garden, a carniverous plant garden, and a firefly pond to explore on the path that encircles the property, a former hunting lodge.
We were impressed by how many birds we saw on the property. Barn Swallows swooped around the observation deck that extends out into the marsh, and songbirds could be counted just sitting in your car in the shady parking lot, which my husband did.
Eastern Bluebird, taken from the far
The many piers and boardwalks allow you to get intimate with the surrounding area. An unforgettable highlight are ancient oaks that you can admire (or hug) while watching herons picking off little crabs.
Note that, as with most of the area, if there’s fresh water there will be alligators. I got too excited by a water lily and almost missed one!
It was hiding
When I was there, the place was not too crowded, so you could get good birding in, including Merlin Bird ID.
Jarvis Creek Park 50 Jarvis Creek Road Hilton Head Island SC 29926 Free admission, good restrooms, and other amenities
Here’s a birding hotspot you won’t see in the usual sources. It doesn’t have its own website and that’s probably for the good. That makes it less likely to draw crowds, an advantage in a contemplative space. The Prayer Trail winds through an amazing area of untouched coastal woodland next to Forest Beach Drive. I found it on my daily birding walks while staying in the area a few years ago, and I’ve visited often ever since.
Trail map
Among the towering oaks, pines, hickories, palms, and magnolia trees you will find a huge assortment of woodland birds. In the winter, I spotted the same owl three different days. And in April there were so many Great Crested Flycatchers and warblers (especially Pine Warblers) that it was almost deafening!
You can see many exciting Carolina Chickadees
Just sit on one of the benches at each stop on the trail, contemplate the lesson, and listen to birds. You’ll find peace. Just be sure to wear bug spray or cover your limbs. It’s a forest, after all.
One thing you will not find on these paths are people. I have only encountered a handful of fellow walkers here, and everyone is quiet (not shouting at friends or blasting music like you find on most trails on the island). I’m so grateful that this beautiful land is being preserved and that the church is maintaining the trail, which opened in 2021. It is absolutely my happy place and favorite place to go on Hilton Head.
So many trees, all full of birds.
When you’re finished on the prayer trails, walk to Cordillo through the church parking lot (chock full of Blue-gray Gnatcatchers much of the year), turn right, then take the next path right that goes along a ditch or lagoon or other body of water, where there are Bald Cypress trees, pretty water plants, and plenty of vireos to listen to. It’s a hidden oasis!
The waterWater plants
Prayer Trail (video on Facebook) Church address: 171 Cordillo Pkwy, Hilton Head Island, SC Prayer Trail is off South Forest Beach Drive Free admission, no facilities
7. Lagoon Road
Lagoon Road is a road, not a park or destination. To find the birding there, park in the Coligny/Piggly Wiggly parking lot near the beginning of Lagoon Road and walk away from the crowds. Soon you will be in a quiet residential area, bordered by protected woods adjacent to a long lagoon. This is the perfect place to go if (like me) crowds make you jittery and you’ve been shopping or eating in a crowded restaurant at Coligny.
Start of the lagoon
I’m always surprised at what kind of birds I encounter here. There are often Great Egrets or Great Blue Herons on the ground, and there will be all kinds of birds in the air, from Fish Crows to Red-shouldered Hawks to Ospreys and even to owls. I was standing quietly listening to some nuthatches one day when not one, but two Barred Owls flew right in front of me, disappearing into the patch of ancient oaks nearby. As I turned to leave in a few minutes, I realized one of the owls was just sitting nearby, watching me.
This is the closest I’ve ever been to an owl. The ones at home hide.
You can return by walking the residential streets, where there are always many birds, and mostly avoid North Forest Beach Road and its noise. The whole walk is about a mile, entirely doable for fairly healthy folks.
One recommended path
Others
Other places for birding abound on the island. Any park or historical site will have birds. I enjoy walking through even the business areas, on roads around apartments and condos, and any back road you can find.
This hawk caught a mouse right in front of me on a major road.
There are many cruises you can take from the island. If you take a dolphin cruise, you can usually convince the captain to also show you birds. You’ll always see cormorants and such.
Cormorants and a gull seen on a dolphin cruise.
Cordillo Parkway and Pope Avenue trails also have many birds, along with alligators and the occasional stingray in a pond, but you have to wait for breaks in the traffic to hear them. A better road for birding is Dellyon Drive, which connects Cordillo and South Forest Beach. Obviously I am a walker and based near that area. I’m sure there are more fun areas near resorts I can’t get to.
Yes, there are birds at the beach!
I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention that the grounds of restaurants can provide great birding, especially at the waterfront restaurants where there will be gulls, sandpipers, and pelicans to watch. Some restaurants have piers you can head out on, too.
Heck, I found my first Baltimore Oriole a couple of years ago at the outlet mall, so just keep your eyes and ears open. Bluffton and Daufuske Island provide even more opportunities!
No complaints about yesterday, which was the first whole day I got to spend with Lee on this trip. Make that few complaints, since sometimes the negativity slips under my skin and needles me, but I’m sure my stuff needles him, too.
Lee in the woods with the camera.
I did the usual walking and birding, getting a new lifer, the Blackpoll Warbler. I’m racking up warblers on this trip. We had lunch at the Greek restaurant here in Hilton Head, where we both raved about the red grapes so much that the server took a picture of the bag for us so we can look for them. If you see these, try them! Going on and on about fruit makes me feel elderly.
Very sweet and juicy.
We went to the Newhall Audubon Preserve after that, with the Big Lens. Lee got really excellent pictures of some very active Black Vultures.
Vultures are not ugly to us.
There was also a pretty Gray Catbird that posed for us, and lots of birds to listen to. Here are all the birds I got photos of, in no good order.
Gray CatbirdCardinalDowny WoodpeckerInjured Great Egret near the condoCarolina ChickadeeOsprey, with fishSeagull yogaBirds of the day
I spent my time looking for fungi, insects, weird galls, and whatever could up my total on my final day of the City Nature Challenge. I did well, with over 300 sightings, which would have won my group at home if I’d been at home. On the other hand, maybe I wouldn’t have seen so many organisms (I probably would have; Milam County is more diverse, it turns out). But it was FUN, and that’s what counts.
oak gallA moth lives in there.Blue CorporalTiny insects make this.Life takes over the condo.Wild white indigo
Now, about these elderly ramblings I promised in the title of this post. I’ve been watching a lot of television shows about elderly people in the past few weeks (also watched all of Only Murders in the Building a while back). Matlock’s heroine is 75 years old. Grace and Frankie are in their seventies, too. And yesterday we started watching A Man on the Inside, where Ted Danson also plays someone who’s at least 70. It makes sense to have more television and movies about the elderly, since the demographics of the US are skewing older. And I like the fact that they don’t try to make them look too young (even Jane Fonda) and they talk about old people issues, like vaginal dryness.
Look at me! I’m old and well rounded.
I’ve always been uncomfortable with our (increasingly weirder and scarier) society’s focus on youth. I think my parents did a good job of modeling being comfortable in your skin, however saggy it might be, and I’ve followed along after some years of hair dyeing that didn’t produce anything remotely natural. No wonder I switched to Overtone’s bright colors.
My current hair looks like pampas grass in many ways.
In addition to accepting how they look, it’s fun to see how vibrant and active the elderly folks are in these shows, especially their senses of humor and willingness to try new things. We all know that not all people of a certain age are perky and active, so I appreciated that A Man on the Inside had a character with memory loss, who they treated with respect while addressing issues typical for people dealing with that.
She sparkled like a sparkleberry.
I don’t spend all my time watching television, though my recent discovery of streaming has upped my ability to actually enjoy it, and I’ve been meeting a lot of older people on this trip. It’s been fun to learn about how they negotiate their changing lives, incomes, and dreams. Traveling just seems to make people more open and friendly, though, so I’m probably seeing their good sides. For example, yesterday at lunch, we had a great chat with a couple who are going to the Grand Canyon to celebrate his 60th birthday (they saw Lee’s t-shirt). We shared all we did in Sedona last year and wished them well. Total strangers. That was fun.
CornflowerBorageBlack-eyed SusansCalifornia poppiesAnnual toadflaxBeggarticks (native)A selection of wild and cultivated plants in the gorgeous flower garden (with fruit trees) behind the Greek restaurant. Someone has a green thumb.
And we are probably having more fun now that we’re older than we did when we were first married. There is lots of time for conversation and exploration, without quite so many annoying things you just have to do. Like I heard on the television last night, yeah, things hurt, but you just deal with it, because the benefits of being elderly are worth it, at least for many of us.
I realized I blathered on and on about something even more boring than usual in my previous post, but I have to confess I spent yesterday doing the same thing. Almost all the photos I took were of plants.
But not this one! I enjoyed watching kites on the beach.
I re-looked at the instructions for the City Nature Challenge, and sure enough, they do not care if you take pictures of plants that aren’t native. So, I found out the names of all sorts of decorative plants from foreign lands that I didn’t know before. And I’m #127 on the list of most observations (out of 2K+).
Oh my. The common name for caladiums is Heart of Jesus. iNat had no clue what this geranium was.It thought this mealy blue sage was a bee. It also had all kinds of interesting ideas for this rose bush,
Yeah, iNaturalist doesn’t do as well with fancy cultivars. It literally had no idea what decorative ginger with yellow-and-red blossoms and striped foliage was. But I persevered. It did way better with squirrels and alligators.
Peanut time!I’m hungry, too.Alligator #1Alligator #2, which was only a few feet away. We surprised each other.
My first walk was back to the Prayer Trail and the surrounding area. There, I was thrilled to actually see Great Crested Flycatchers, which I’ve been hearing frequently as I wander (did you know that a majority of Cameron, Texas residents think that the word for meandering aimlessly is “wonder”? It’s true.).
Two Great Crested Flycatchers. Blurry, but loudly identifiable.
I also heard an unfamiliar call and found out it was an Indigo Bunting! That’s the second type of bunting for this trip. I even got to see it fly around and be all blue and beautiful. Sadly, the best photo I got was not good at all. Only I would know what it was, because I saw it fly in.
Oh, and I also finally got a photo of the new-to-me butterfly I’ve been seeing in the woods. And a cat. Exotic.
On my second walk of the day, I tried to go back to Lagoon Road, but got confused by a lot of traffic and had some detours. I saw the second alligator there, so all was good.
Location of second alligator.
When I started out, I saw some really interesting clouds, but thought nothing of it until the clouds were accompanied by thunder.
Pretty cloud formation on the road with all the identical condos.
It really didn’t rain much until I got past Coligny (shopping area that has a Chico’s; I miss Chico’s). It was drizzling when I saw Alligator #2, but never got above a light shower. That’s a pretty poor highlight for one’s day, but yep, that and the birds were it. I stood under a big tree and waited until it lightened up enough to get back to Ocean Oak.
Raining in the sunshine where I was sheltering
Oh, why did I do that? Standing still makes you a mosquito dining zone. I paid for that when I tried to go to sleep last night after my television binge. If you’re wondering what television show I’m watching now, it’s the one with Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin, Grace and Frankie. With 94 episodes, I’ll be watching for a while, especially since Lee comes today and he won’t want to watch it.
Yeah, Lee bit off more than he could chew with his travel goals yesterday, so he stopped in Georgia to get some rest. I’d rather he arrives during the daytime and not totally exhausted! It doesn’t look like there will be more rain today. Yay. Off for more iNat observations!
Yesterday I had a plan to go on a main road and see if I could find anything interesting. I figured I wouldn’t hear too many birds, since there’s a lot of traffic noise, but I could look. And the road, Pope Avenue, has some lovely trails that go over lagoons full of native life. So, off I went!
A large lagoon covered in duckweed,
I really enjoy walking in Hilton Head, because the flora and fauna remind me of where I grew up in northern Florida. Every once in a while I have an “aww” moment where I see something that reminds me of my mom. These irises were that for me. She loved finding them in the swampy areas we used to visit, looking for alligators. Mom was a fan.
Not sure what kind of iris this is.These are blue flag.
And speaking of alligators, I found plenty of them on my walk. All were fairly young. The first one I found when I was taking a picture of a turtle to upload to iNaturalist. I looked at the image and realized the turtle was not alone.
My guess is that the gator had recently eaten (they don’t eat very often, especially after a large meal). Can a turtle tell that? I’m not sure, but they certainly looked cozy. The next ones I found were in a larger pond. There were at least four alligators there, which impressed me.
I think there are two here.Buddies?I ike its stripes
While watching the younger alligator swimming around underwater and going after something, I realized there was something else in the water. At first, I thought it was some debris, like a plastic bag floating in the pond.
Looks like a plastic bag to me.
But as I looked more closely, I could see that it was moving. I was very confused by this creature. Eventually I saw a tail. So, hmm, it had a tail.
See the tail, which made a ripple?
At last, it came a bit closer to the surface, and I saw a mouth and eyes. Then it swam off and I saw fins waving. I could swear it was a stingray.
OK, that looks like the face of a ray. I’ve looked at lots of them.
I thought stingrays only lived in saltwater, though, so I made sure to look up the behavior of rays when I got back to the condo. Sure enough, Atlantic stingrays can be found in brackish or fresh water. How about that! I saw a ray!
This guy was not impressed.
I also enjoyed the nearby park, Compass Rose Park, which I’d driven by many tims, but not visited. It has a cool statue of a man walking an alligator, and a large kinetic sculpture of a compass rose, along with some interesting water features. I’m glad I visited.
From the parking lot.This looked over a lagoonCompass rayWater featureIt’s a bit dark. Shady park.This looks like astroturf, but is water
The only other fun creatures I saw were a whole group of Carolina Wrens in some brush, an Osprey nesting on a cell tower, and my very first Cape May Warbler behind one of the churches on Pope. I love exploring the backs of things. Lots of birds hang around the edges of parking lots.
Osprey nestIrritated wren
I’m sure you’re wondering what exciting television viewing I engaged in. I got completely caught up with Matlock, which sure has its twists and turns. I wonder what will happen in the next season, because Matlock seems to have burned all bridges at her current workplace. Sorta like me.
Random Snapdragons
I did apply for a job. I had sent in an application the day I lost the previous job but never heard back. Apparently, they re-opened it. Do I really want another job? I am not sure at all. But I can talk to the people looking for a candidate. Sadly, I can barely understand the recruiter. Indian English is so different from American English!
Parting shot. Seen in the restroom at the place I had lunch.
People sometimes look at me like I have two heads when I tell them I go to places far away from the ranch all by myself for weeks at a time. Plus, my spouse if fine with it. Why, why why?
And why put this colorful ginger (I think) flower here? It’s pretty.
Guilty as charged.
A quick answer is that we are both hermits (hence the blog title) and enjoy time alone. That’s true, but not really why I do it. One of my traits is that I tend to take the whole “Pisces” thing to many levels (I find some of the personality aspects of astrology helpful, but no, I don’t base my decisions on it). Most aspects of my personality have two distinct and often contradictory aspects. For example, I enjoy dressing in a gender-neutral fashion, but I have those long fancy fingernails and slap flowers on most of my shirts.
That goes along with how I always come out borderline on tests of introversion versus extroversion. I’m one way sometimes, and the other when the situation changes. And I crave alone time but have never lived alone. Ever. People I’ve broken up with tend to hang out with me until someone new arrives. And when I had two houses for a few years, because I was still working in Austin, I had my friend Anita in the Austin houses.
It’s the Austin house (Bobcat Lair) showing lovely dark rain clouds. Ah.
My point is that I found it odd that I insisted on having a companion wherever I lived. Was I incapable of living alone? I tested that by traveling to these condos alone. (Note that I’m not camping in the wilderness; I still want to feel safe.) And what I’ve found is that I have a hard time coming up with a daily routine without someone else to build the routine around. My first few trips it felt very strange deciding for myself what to do, where to go, what to eat, how to entertain myself, without having to negotiate it with someone else. I was uneasy making decisions with no input.
I decided all by myself to pick up thistle seeds and watch them blow around, to make more thistles.
This week I’ve realized that I’m totally comfortable alone. I don’t need a routine, because one evolves naturally. I get up, dress, make coffee, write in my journal…etc. and it becomes a routine. And the silence is glorious. If there are sounds, they’re my choice. Now that I know I can do it, maybe I don’t need to be alone for parts of my travel so much. Still, Lee hates to be away from home for long, so this might continue.
I’m sure he’s not as fascinated by pelicans as I am.
With that musing out of the way, I’ll hit the highlights of my solo day in Hilton Head yesterday. I’m making the most out of having no car by exploring all the nooks and crannies I can walk to. There were no raptor sightings, but I did get startled by unexpectedly encountering a Great Blue Heron in a little pond. The herons here are much more accustomed to people than the ones at home, who fly off if they detect me anywhere near them.
Howdy!
Otherwise, I did another walk on the Prayer Trail, with so many pretty warblers, Painted Buntings, and Great Crested Flycatchers. I even came across a new life bird, the Wood Thrush, who looks a lot like a Hermit Thrush but sounds different.
Tree with many burlsI can’t get over how tall the ancient trees are.This is a fungus that grows on pines. Dyer’s Polypore (Phaeolus schweinitzii)Only the Tufted Titmice felt like posing today – ooh, blurryTitmouse collecting nest materialsIt’s hard work
I then found a trail in the woods next to the Prayer Trail. It had signs on either end admonishing folks not to ride their motorbikes on it. As far as I was concerned, that meant it was perfectly fine to walk the trail. Nothing said, “no trespassing.” So, I went on it.
Warning sign
What fun that was! This was a much less cleared trail through similar virgin woods (well, it IS the same woods) to the other one. I saw many lizards and skinks (not skunks, as autocorrect changed my Facebook caption to), and some gorgeous trees. I felt like an explorer.
Woodsy!
Later in the day, after a delicious veggie flatbread at the bar, I walked down the beach again to see what shore birds were around. I was delighted to find some Royal Terns among the gulls. They are beautiful in flight, but I find them quite comical on the ground. Their crowns look like old man hats, and the way they were walking around chatting with each other just made me smile.
So cute.GosspingLoudly gossipingI’m not listening (ring-billed gull)
Later I saw some doing mating flights, which was fun to watch, as well as very loud.
Making their approach.
Otherwise, I spent much of the walk dodging dozens of Cannonball Jellies that had washed up. I was glad not to be barefoot, as there were also many sharp-looking pieces of crabs strewn around. I guess the birds only like the middles of crabs.
When I came home, I gleefully read my book and watched whatever television show I cared to watch (this time it was Matlock). I have no doubt that by the time Lee gets here, I’ll be happy to have a companion to plan around, however.
I didn’t write last night because I was being a self-indulgent vacationer. After a truly excellent walk to the lagoon area near where I’m staying on Hilton Head Island, I had an indulgent lunch of eggs Benedict and grits, then spent the rest of the day indulging in various media. I don’t think I’ve ever done this before. It felt weird, mostly because I sat in one place for so long. I’ll get to that momentarily.
I would like to know the story of this poor pizza I found lying on the ground. It’s well cooked, all right.
The birding walk was most excellent. I saw and heard all kinds of birds I don’t usually run into, including a pair of Eastern Kingbirds, an American Redstart, and an Ovenbird. The trees were alive, both by the lagoon and at the nearby park, where there were also many turtles and a little alligator that really got kids excited. The only downside was that, even though I wore jeans and closed-toe shoes, I got all bit up by mosquitoes. I now need a Benadryl, which will probably put me to sleep.
Great Egret taking offCalmer egretTufted TitmouseGreen HeronI think a Common Gallinule.Anhinga doing its thing.Eastern KingbirdYoung alligatorVery green anoleTurtle confab
The highlight of the walk was the payoff for standing quietly in an alcove at the end of Lagoon Road and watching all the birds. I was thrilled to see a Barred Owl fly right in front of me and land nearby. As I was trying to see where it was, a second Barred Owl also flew by! I figured I’d stay and see if they made any calls that Merlin could hear. I also got quite distracted by an interesting caterpillar that crawled onto my pants. This thing has many bells and whistles on it.
It’s a Fir Tussock moth, Orgyia detrita. I read the Wikipedia article on Tussock moths, and it told me those white tufts are the tussocks. I was also wise not to touch it. Those long hairs sting. Also, in the moths, the male is large and attractive, and the female is very small. Read the article!
I guess that moth really excited me because I didn’t notice the owls moving. As I was about to leave, I turned to look once more, and there was one of the owls, sitting close enough to me that even in the dark shadow, I could get a reasonable photo, once he or she moved their head. Interestingly, there was a crow sitting close by, glaring at it. As I’ve learned at home, crows aren’t very fond of owls.
This is the closest I’ve ever been to an owl. The ones at home hide.
I got to show the owl to a couple of folks walking down the path, which was rewarding. I headed back to the Coligny shopping area, where I truly enjoyed that breakfast, all by myself. I also had a bloody Mary. I’m trying to learn to enjoy this retirement thing.
I was impressed that my meal matched my nails.
I came back to my condo and thought I’d watch another episode of the Netflix series, The Residence, which many people had recommended to me because the detective in the series is a birder. I also discovered it is set in the White House, and as a fan of The West Wing, I wanted to see how they treated it. Well, many hours later, I finished all eight episodes, the last of which was 1.5 hours. Some of the humor is very subtle, which I loved, and the birding part is okay (though the bird names were not always accurate). But I LOVED the heroine, a large Black woman who is a genius. It’s about time we had more protagonists who are different from the norm. Most of the characters were fun. I recommend this if you have a Netflix subscription. By the way, I figured out how to stream from my phone all by myself. Maybe I am the technology whiz people keep accusing me of being.
The place I watched television from. Look, I bought healthy bananas in addition to Goldfish crackers.
I figured that I was already watching television, so I made myself a delicious Publix meal for one, got out my temperature blanket, and caught up with all the sitcoms I secretly like to watch. Lee is not fond of sitcoms, and I can see why. They are often predictable and dumb (especially poor Reba on Happy’s Place, which I doubt gets renewed – edit, Wikipedia says it did). I got that one out of the way and well into St. Denis Medical (which also got renewed) by the time I finished eating and crocheting.
Spiderwort, the Ohio kind that’s more common than the Texas ones.
I’m not totally mindless sitcom fodder, though. I did read the Eve book I talked about in my being judgy post until I fell asleep. Learning about the history of human development from a female point of view is fascinating. Much of it I didn’t know about, though having read the book about the senses a while back, I did know how male and female vision differ. I’ll write a full book report when I’ve digested all 500 pages, but now it’s time to go fight the mosquitoes and listen to more birds.
I always think of my mom when I see bottlebrush trees. She thought they were so cool, but had to explain what exactly a bottlebrush was to us as kids.
I had things to do today, important things like hard boil some eggs. Instead, I proposed that we hop in the car and take our cameras to Granger Lake, and see if we could find any birds. As long as I could get home in time to ride Apache, we were free. Time to spontain!
You better mooove it!
As you can see, I’d already been playing with the zoom lens. I got the best White-crowned Sparrow I’ve ever taken!
That is not a blurry bird.
The weather was even better than yesterday, so why not tote that giant lens around? it was good practice.
150 Zoom500 ZoomTest photos
We went to two of the many parks around Granger Lake. It was too loud to listen at the first park, but I found big birds and yaupon berries.
Turkey VuktureRed-shouldered Hawk. Weird focusing funFisher people
We left that place and went to the other side of the lake, down beautiful country roads to the park with equestrian trails. It also had prettier campsites. We enjoyed exploring this area alone, and it was great fun in the swampy areas and trails (will be better in spring).
Wet area. Poetic treeAnother sparrowLee with the macro lens.
We eventually meandered over to the lake, where I finally found some different birds to photograph. I was mostly just trying to figure out what the white birds were, then realized there were even more cormorants than white birds.
This was really far away, but clear enough to ID. It’s a Ring-billed Gull, nothing exoticZzz, another vulture. Zooming cormorant Lake birds
When I got home and downloaded the pictures to my phone, I realized that my photos of gulls were filled with cormorants. They aren’t very clear, but if you click to enlarge you will see them in trees, swimming, and sticking their heads out of the water!
Check the trees. My favorite This was supposed to be a photo of the Doppler Radar that tracks our storms but it’s got cormorants.
As if this wasn’t enough fun, we went home on the back roads (Lee is familiar with them from once living in Granger). We noticed more places to hike in the nature preserves, which made us want to bring the RV down one weekend.
We might see Carolina Chickadees!
I felt so good when I got home, even after listening to unbearable political analysis all the way to the lake (it made my stomach hurt). I’m glad I felt good, so that I could do my important chores of boiling eggs and riding a horse who was not interested in side passing.
I told you the lens is big.
I’m glad Lee and I have a shared hobby. I wish his macro photos had loaded into our shared library, but synching is slow. I’ll share another time!
Oh yes! The month has a pink theme. Happy love nails. Happy pink hair.
One thing Lee and I did in Austin yesterday was get a zoom lens for our Cannon camera. It goes 150-500, and is pretty big but not ridiculous. We went to Precision Camera, a store I’ve patronized off and on since I moved here. I am glad they sell used equipment. New stuff is pricey.
Lens.
The first time I went to Precision Camera it was a much smaller store near the current one. I went with Mary Jo, the school librarian at my kids’ school, to get a digital camera so I could put photos on the school website. We got the best we could get in 1998, since it was a new school and we had funds. This fine camera could take ten pictures on its memory card. Then you’d have to slowly download to a PC to clear out space. Getting even one photo per class was tedious (plus no photos of children’s faces—we had already figured that out).
I’m pretty sure this was it. You can get your own here.
I digress. The current equipment we now have holds lots more photos, and we download them via the camera’s wifi, which even our mid-level Canon camera has. So see, some things are better now. My goal is to get photos of birds that will look good enough to ID on iNaturalist. I have no illusions of becoming an art photographer at this point in my life.
New lens triumphantly produced an identifiable White-crowned Sparrow.
Today was not a great day to try the new lens out, since it was misty and drizzly all day. The temperature only varied by 6° all day!
Two Collared Doves. It’s in focus.
Even though it was a gray day, I took many bird photos, some with the phone, which also has a good zoom but not as many pixels. I wanted to compare.
Collared Dove on phone camera.
The lens is heavy, so I’ll have to build arm strength. It has stabilizers, which is quite useful for shaky arms.
Luckily, whatever this thing is didn’t move.
Mostly I practiced taking pictures of our Great Egret as it preened its damp feathers. It’s great to be able to see it up close.
Cool!
On a sunny day I could do more, but I enjoyed trying different modes. I’m nowhere near able to manually manipulate settings. I’ll get there.
Click to see up close
I look forward to seeing what I can do around the ranch. I get plenty of bird variety here! Maybe I can get better photos out camping, too. Identifiable ones will suffice. I’ll leave you with a few of my experiments.
Nicely framed sparrowMockingbird in a treeMale and female LichenThe prickly pear with really long pricklesTwo more dovesVultures drying offMockingbird (this and the rest are phone photos)Mistletoe The next three are various views of a poorly lit female or immature White-crowned Sparrow.
What part of your routine do you always try to skip if you can?
Announcement: I don’t like to cook anymore. That’s my least favorite routine item. I enjoyed it when I was making meals for my kids and ex, who ate most foods and really seemed to appreciate my effort. Since the kids grew up I’ve lost my motivation to cook family meals, though folks often say they’re glad for the food.
Nope. Not making this. Photo from Pexels.
Some of my issue is that none of us need or want the same foods, due to health issues, allergies, and preferences. Since I’m not very creative, I can’t come up with meals. Nor do I have much time with animals to care for. Heck, I don’t even want to make meals for myself. I just want to eat stuff like fruit, yogurt, rice, and cheese.
My ideal meal. Just slap it on a board. Photo from Pexels.
I’m not sure how this all happened. It’s not my family’s fault. I’m just not motivated. Other things interest me more than food. (Unless I’m feeling extremely anxious like right now.)
Lagoons. They interest me.
What does interest me is nature, animals, reading, and knitting. Speaking of nature, I’m going to get better images from now on, with the macro lens Lee got me. It’s cool. I took pictures of small things.
That’s pretty.
I didn’t get to go try it out until late afternoon. I had a lot of work to do and I wasn’t feeling mentally well. I had nightmares all night about being afraid of people around me. Where did that come from? Lee has had CNN on again. Their coverage gets me scared sometimes. Sure, I’m easily frightened, but it’s worse when there’s justification.
Must breathe.
Anyhow, the lens is great fun now that I’ve figured it out. I love how it focuses. Hilton Head is a good place to see small flora and fauna.
Two butterflies!It’s in focus!Macro lens tryout
When spring comes around, I’ll be all over the flowers and insects back at the ranch. I hope, at least, to be able to! The beauty will still be there. It’s timeless.
Timeless, like the sea.
Sending love, and understanding to each of you who has a secret part of their daily routine they’re not fond of. I can’t be alone in being bored by cooking!
The Hermits' Rest 