...on alligators and full memory cards...

Birding on Hilton Head Island and Pinckney Island NWR…continued from Wednesday’s post on the Snowy Egrets.
…I have to admit that the alligator was quite a surprise. I knew all along alligators could be lurking in the water, watching me, but I had been birding for at least 5 hours and hadn’t seen one, so I had forgotten about the possibility of a prehistoric presence. When I did finally see one, it was almost a relief (“Okay, now you know they are there. Be careful. Pay attention. Oooh…and go get his picture!”). He was really cool and fascinating…and just so different than the norm back home. A snapping turtle is probably the worst thing we would encounter in a pond in Cincy. I took a bunch of photos, which all looked the same--a big log with unblinking eyes. I know I’m repeating myself and said the same thing yesterday, it’s just those eyes were the creepiest part. He kept giving me that crazy alligator eye, which is very unnerving.

Eventually I moved on, or actually back. I wanted to get a few more shots of mama Snowy on the nest. I snapped one, and then nothing. My camera had stopped working….What? Then it dawned on me…my last memory card….full. So I put the lens cap on the lens and kept walking. I didn’t need to take photos to bird, but without the camera to drive me I started noticing how badly my foot hurt, and the fact that I could barely walk anymore was sinking in quickly…and I started remembering the doctor told me not to walk too much, so I headed to a bench and sat down to write a little, and just watch, and listen. My water was gone, my foot was killing me, and the alligator was still giving me the crazy eye, so I called it a day and slowly headed for the car (which was a very long walk). I knew I’d be back either tomorrow or the next day, and this time I’d bring three memory cards!

Snowy Egrets (and an alligator) at Pinckney Island National Wildlife Refuge (Near Hilton Head, SC)

Birding on Hilton Head Island and Pinckney Island NWR...continued from Tuesday's post on Little Blue Heron chicks.
Living right next door to our lovely Little Blue Heron family was a Snowy Egret family. The male Snowy Egret was climbing carefully along a limb until he found the perfect perch and slowly wrapped his yellow-slippered feet around the branch. Looking around, he displayed and fluffed his gorgeous snowy feathers. 






About three branches over in the crook of the tree, his mate was seated on her nest. Every now and then she would stand up and stretch, revealing a clutch of three white eggs.




The male Snowy Egret stayed where he was, studying the bright green water below. I assumed he was looking for fish, but maybe he was looking at something else. Only six feet away and four feet down, a bumpy brown log with unblinking eyes sat waiting.