Tag: Port Royal

PIE-lay-ted…by Brad Marks

Hi folks! We said farewell to Vegas and made our way west again. We had a list of things planned for our stay in the desert, but somehow that city has the ability to crumble up itineraries and set them on fire – this year that was almost literal as the day temps went to 109 and beyond. Ended up being a daily scramble thanks to some RV repairs, additional time spent hunting birds I thought would be easy checks and then a host of other things that gobbled up the time. I am sure we will get back there before too long – note to self, allow more time! On the bright side, birding has been outstanding – 109+1 annual birds since start of the trip, 43 of those being lifers. That puts me at 409+4 for the year – a personal record and we are still relatively early in the year. Oh, an that puts me at #211 in the US Top 100 Birders standings. The downside is the field days have been long and the gravitational force of the pillow strong – my apologies for the delay in responding to comments (I promise to remedy that as soon as I can) and now I will be out of pocket for a bit as we have a family event to take in. Fortunately, Brad is always at the ready to bring you another of their adventures and today’s feature is one of my favorite local feathered friends.

The pillow beckons, take it away Brad…

A couple of years ago, Jan and I were driving on our first trip to Hilton Head Island to escape a week of February winter in Illinois.  We decided to drive to take all of our camera gear.  Driving to Hilton Head takes 16+ hours from where we live, so we broke the trip into two days.  The first night we stayed in Asheville, NC to could go to one of our favorite restaurants for dinner, the Tupelo Honey Café. We were not disappointed.  On the second day, we planned to stop at Congaree National Park in South Carolina we found on a poster our daughter Allyson gave us when we retired.  When we go to a new park, we can cross it off the poster, checklist style.  The park poster contains some of the biggest National Parks (Yosemite and Yellowstone) and some of the lesser-known parks as well.  That’s where we found ourselves.

When we finally arrived at Congaree, we were quickly rewarded with a bit of humor.  There was a sign saying the park wide speed limit was 27 MPH.  Not 25 MPH or 30 MPH, but 27 MPH!  How cool is that!  Arriving at the small parking lot, Merlin was telling us there were many birds in the trees, if only we could see them.  I learned much later that Congaree National Park is one of the nation’s top spots to see very large firefly displays during late May and into June.

When I had finished assembling my camera (Jan was already off taking photos), a family was wandering by from their distant parking space.  The grandfather in the group, seeing the big cameras, asked if I’d seen a specific bird pointing to the other end of the parking lot.  Sometimes the local names and pronunciations of words can catch me off-guard.  British English and American English often have different syllables emphasized.  But when American English (Midwestern) and American English (Southern) collide, I sometimes have no idea where to start.

Here’s where I have to go to phonetic spelling because my ear was simply not tuned into Southern English so early in our trip.  Absolutely no offense intended, things are pronounced differently all around our country.  Pronunciations in the Northeast are sometimes the hardest because they remove certain letters and add them to the ends of other words.  For example, the phrase “park the car” becomes “pahk the cah”.  But the word “area” becomes “airy-er”.  See what I mean? 

Pileated Woodpecker for by Brad Marks in South Carolina

In any dialect or accent, that’s a BIG bird! Hit the jump to read more about the PIE!

Continue reading PIE-lay-ted…by Brad Marks

Sleepy Tree Penguins…by Brad Marks

I must say, I am coming off a really enjoyable weekend. Linda and I went up to one of our favorite Illinois parks to the north – Chain O’ Lakes State Park in Spring Grove. The boys had an agility competition and I was looking forward to a final outdoor fling before the shut-down. The boys did well, although they definitely felt the heat on that second day as the Midwest ovens were turned on full. Ron met me there and we got some good birding in despite the heat, adding 4 more birds to my annual count which now sits at 386+3. Just 11 more to go to reach that once thought unattainable 400 unique species plateau. Capping off the weekend, Linda and I added multiple biking excursions and a fantastic day of kayaking all while enjoying camping in the woods. All those outdoor activities also erased any doubts I might have about going through with the ankle surgery as it is pretty swollen at the moment. I want to continue enjoying those outings with Linda and add back in the long runs into the mix – the ankle fix is the path to get me there (I really appreciate all the well wishes everyone has been sending my way). While I get ready for that change, Brad is going to bring you an encounter with a species that went through its own change, albeit less invasive. In 2024, the last hyphen was officially removed from his featured feathered friend.

Take it away Brad…

It’s February at home in Illinois, which means it’s cold.  Jan and I have made an annual escape, three years running now, to someplace warmer than Illinois in February.  This year, and probably the next few, we skedaddled to Hilton Head Island.  On one of our last full days, we decided to try someplace recommended by Ted (see his site here).  After driving for about 90 minutes, only getting lost once, I finally found one of the two parking spaces near the Port Royal Cypress Wetlands.  The wetlands seem to be right in the middle of the town of Port Royal, hence the name of the wetlands.  I’m sure there are more spaces available someplace nearby, but I couldn’t easily find them.  Ted probably knows the secret parking locations. 

The cypress wetlands remind me of Hall’s Pond in Brookline, MA (here); a nice respite in the middle of humanity’s hustle and bustle.  In actuality, I’m not sure Port Royal qualifies for “hustling and bustling” as much as Brookline, MA does.

The pond, or wetland, is only a couple of acres of water surface area.  Once the car was parked, cameras made ready, and the car was locked, I walked to the end of the elevated deck above the edge of the water near the parking area.  There were so many birds and turtles on an island in the middle of the water, with a couple of alligators slowly circling, that I completely missed all of the birds napping in the trees right next to me.  Once the first was spotted, then they all started popping out of the branches.

Black-Crowned Night Heron found by Brad and Jan at Port Royal Cypress Wetlands

Hit the jump to read more about this Tree Penguin and all of its friends.

Continue reading Sleepy Tree Penguins…by Brad Marks

Feather Tiara…by Brad Marks

Greetings all. I am a bit behind on a rather length (ever expanding) to-do list. I did have my MRI this week, but I am unable to get into the surgeon until the 17th to get the official readout. Should I be concerned that immediately after the procedure the MRI technician recommended I check with the reception to see if they can get me in before then!?! That was actually already in the plan so I’ll be calling from time to time to see if there are any cancellations I can jump on. Meanwhile I am “trying” to get the homestead ready in case I have a lengthy downtime. Less work for Linda! Also working on the latest haunt tutorial video which is taking way longer than expected – all these newfangled tools feels like drinking from a fire hose. . While I “try” to get caught up on everything, Brad is going to take you back to South Carolina for another type of “tri”.

Take it away Brad…

On our last full day in Hilton Head this year, Jan and I decided to drive a short distance (90 minutes or so from our hotel with stops along the way) to a new location suggested by Ted Jennings (see his site here).  We visited the Port Royal Cypress Wetlands which appears to be right in the middle of the town of Port Royal, SC.  It is a small body of water with limited parking, but we were able to find a parking space near the boardwalk overlook.  The whole surface area of the water is only a couple of acres based on my estimate.  Having said that, it took Jan and I a couple of hours to walk all the way around the half-mile boardwalk and trails.  No, it’s not really larger on the inside.  There were so many birds, and alligators, we really didn’t know where to start to point the cameras.

In the past, Jan and I have found the occasional Tricolored Heron (Egretta tricolor), or Great Egret, or Great Blue Heron in the marsh areas we visit.  Normally we only see one, or maybe two Tricolors at a particular location.  This time, there had to be a dozen Tricolors just hanging around in the trees on a small island in the middle of the wetlands. 

The featured Tricolors today were all on the island, except for one recluse hanging out with the Yellow-bellied Slider turtles along the edge of the water.  Even though they nest in trees, I’m always surprised to see a wading bird sitting on a tree branch.  And seeing the amount of alligators cruising in the water around the island, this is a prudent strategy. 

Tricolored Heron found at Port Royal Cypress Wetlands, SC by Brad and Jan Marks

Hit the jump to learn more about these Port Royal Tris.

Continue reading Feather Tiara…by Brad Marks