Day 15: January 15th - Shelter Cove, Hilton Head

Beautiful sunshine, cool mid 50's, Calm winds

     Our first full day on Hilton Head is led by our friends John and Rosie who scouted out the area prior to our arrival yesterday afternoon,  They have located a community park called Veterans's Memorial which is part of the Shelter Cove Park system.  They had nice birds there yesterday, and so we head out with eager anticipation.  

White ibis

       We begin with a mature Bald eagle soaring overhead, an indication of things to come.  Our second bird of the day is a chevron of three White ibises doing a fly-by as we watch from the observation deck overlooking the marsh.  Great blue herons and Great egrets dot the landscape as we scan the horizon for any other new species.  We come to a meadow which is literally inundated with Yellow-rumped warblers on almost every tree, shrub, and sapling.  A pond the size of a football field lies beyond this meadow and a cursory glance reveals a large group of male and female Buffleheads.  We move around the pond behind the protective cover of wax myrtle and bay to find that there are much more than the Buffleheads to keep us looking.  Great blue herons, Great egrets, more than 10 Black-crowned night herons, a lone Pied-billed grebe, a Bonaparte's gull, half a dozen Double-crested cormorants, and both Turkey and Black vultures overhead join the myriad of Yellow-rumps and Palm warblers to set this beautiful stage with a remarkable cast of characters.  

Shelter Cove Park

      We spend 20 minutes or so watching the show and then head back towards the car.  On our way, we come across a small group of Eastern bluebirds which descend upon us to see what we are up to.  

Eastern bluebirds

     As we leave the area, we make one more stop at a marsh across the street and walk a short way along a black-topped trail.  Coming around a blind corner, we run headlong into a low flying Sharp-shinned hawk which "buzzes" us before continuing down the trail.   Our final sighting is a group of 4 Great egrets along with 2 "first of the year" Snowy egrets.  It's time to head back to our quarters to watch the Giants-Packers game.  Quite an afternoon for just staying close to our condo.  We have a listing of 9 more nature preserves on the Island to visit, and so we know that we will not be at a loss for places to check out.