Early clouds, becoming sunny and mild (61 degrees)
Well, what a pleasant surprise. Less than 5 minutes from the door of our condo in Sea Pines, Hilton Head, we discovered the Sea Pines Forest Preserve. The 605 acres was set aside in 1970 for wildlife habitat and outdoor recreation. One can drive throughout the preserve or park and hike the several miles of woodland trails, bridle paths, and wetland boardwalks. Several of these lead to observation decks, fishing docks, and a major picnic pavilion.
 |
| Lawton Rice Field Boardwalk |
There are four lakes within the preserve and our first sightings of Anhingas this year were on this preserve. One of the trails is aptly named the "Anhinga" trail, and all along the shoreline, we found both male and female birds.
 |
| Female anhinga |
The shot(s) of the day go to a series of photographs which show a Forster's tern taking advantage the rich bounty of baitfish upon which the terns were feeding. As we watched their plunges into the water, we could tell that the success rate was high with more birds emerging from their dives with fish in their bills than not. This preserve is a gem and we will revisit it in the future.
 |
| Forster's tern - begins the dive |
 |
| Locked on the target |
 |
| Impact is imminent |
No comments:
Post a Comment