Wading Bird Rookeries Down South in early June -- Part 1: Spring Island

Alley of Oaks leading up to the ruins of the Edwards House built of tabby shell -- Spring Island, SC  -- June 2012

           Carl and I always are interested in venturing out to explore new territories.  So when we were invited to go to the southern reaches of the SC Lowcountry to do some photography on Spring Island, a private residential community close to Hilton Head and the Parris Island Marine Corps Air Station, we eagerly accepted.   We decided to include a visit to Pinckney Island National Wildlife Refuge (NWR) for the afternoon portion of our trip down south.  Part One of this 2-part post series will show our best photographic efforts on Spring Island on the morning of June 8, 2012.  And Part Two will portray what we photographed at Pinckney Island that same afternoon.

           I was already familiar with the Spring Island community due to the 2-part series by Patrick McMillan on Expeditions from the 2008 programming.  Patrick McMillan highlighted the careful development of this community whose goal is to preserve the natural surroundings.  Due to a low density plan of just 410 homesites on this 3000 acre island, the residents of Spring Island live for all purposes on a nature preserve.   One thousand acres of the island have actually been set aside into perpetuity as a nature preserve managed by the Spring Island Trust, a non-profit organization that works to preserve the island's cultural and natural environment.  The other 2000 acres are managed in such a way that most homes, built behind dense natural buffers, blend seamlessly into the natural landscape.  To learn more about what this community does to preserve its wildlife habitats and natural resources, you will want to explore the many links on Environmental Protection  to the Spring Island Trust page.  I was delighted to be afforded the opportunity to visit and photograph this private enclave to see firsthand how the developers worked to build this community of homes without destroying the natural context of a Lowcountry marsh island.

Baby American Alligator  -- Spring Island, SC -- June 2012

          Our photographic goal for the morning was to capture images of the wildlife, primarily the nesting wading birds in the rookery, as well as the general scenery of the island.  We avoided photographing homes and homesites.  Indeed, the rookery was our first destination, after meeting with our host, Chris Marsh, the Executive Director of the Spring Island Trust as well as the Executive Director of the Lowcountry Institute, a non-profit organization whose goal is to provide responsible leadership and education regarding the conservation and use of our natural resources, working primarly in the Port Royal and Beaufort areas of the Lowcountry.  After meeting Chris at the island's Nature Center, we set off for the rookery with map and directions in hand.

Wading bird rookery -- Spring Island, SC -- June 2012

This rookery provided refuge to nesting Great Egrets, Snowy Egrets, Anhingas, Tri-colored Herons, Black-Crowned Night Herons, Cattle Egrets, Little Blue Herons and Wood Storks!  Since the closure of the Dungannon Heritage Preserve Wood Stork nesting site to the public a couple of years ago, we have missed seeing these funny, delightful chicks on the nest.  So we were thrilled to be able to observe them again!

Myself shooting across the lagoon towards the rookery -- Spring Island, SC -- June 2012 -- Photo by Carl Miller

So many densely clustered, active nests with chicks and with parents coming and going! -- It was hard to figure out where to aim and focus!

Great Egret arriving -- Spring Island, SC -- June 8, 2012

Cattle Egret in breeding plumage newly arrived in rookery -- Spring Island, SC -- June 8, 2012

           I could not obtain an unobstructed view of the above Cattle Egret's nest as I watched it disappear into the foliage in the center of this islet.  

Great Egret arriving -- Spring Island, SC -- June 8, 2012

Young Wood Stork nestlings -- Spring Island, SC -- June 2012

Wood Stork parent arriving -- Spring Island, SC -- June 2012

Wood Stork parent landing -- Spring Island, SC -- June 2012

Wood Stork chicks excited about a parent's arrival -- Spring Island, SC -- June 2012

           I was witness to and able to record the "changing of the guard" of a pair of Wood Stork parents at the nest.  The series follows:

One parent arrives at nest, wet from foraging for food -- Spring Island, SC -- June 2012

Arriving bird is warmly greeted by awaiting mate -- Spring Island, SC -- June 2012

More greetings from chick and mate -- Spring Island, SC -- June 2012

An affectionate nudge to the mate -- Spring Island, SC -- June 2012

The dry mate has turned to leave ...  Spring Island, SC -- June 2012

A little wing stretch while the newly arrived mate tends to the chick -- Spring Island, SC -- June 2012

On your mark, set, ....  Spring Island, SC -- June 2012

Go! -- Spring Island, SC -- June 2012

Wood Stork leaving nest to forage for family -- Spring Island, SC

Of all the species of waders, I find Wood Storks to hold my interest the most in terms of their personalities.  After all, who is not going to like a goofy, happy-looking, big bird? -- Besides Mitt Romney?  I cannot resist sharing with you a few more family portraits and photos from the neighborhood! 

A Wood Stork adult looking after her neighbor's chicks (?) -- Spring Island, SC -- June 2012

Again, another adult Wood Stork looking after the neighbors' chicks -- Spring Island, SC  -- June 2012

Sibling Wood Storks on the nest -- Spring Island, SC -- June 2012

Here's a short little video clip of another pair of nestlings.

Getting to know the neighbors -- the gregarious Great Egret chicks (left) meeting the calmer Wood Stork chicks (right)  Spring Island, SC -- June 2012

Young nestling Wood Stork -- jumping and wing-stretching -- preparing for a first leap from the nest -- Spring Island, SC June 2012

I am very sorry that I did not capture the above "happy dance" on video!  Yes, I am completely fascinated by the Wood Storks and yes, there were other wonderful waders in the rookery.  But I profess to being partial to the Wood Stork chicks.  They have such a calm demeanor in comparison to the other more raucous, feisty neighborhood "children."  Let's take for example these unruly Black-Crowned Night Heron chicks.

Black-Crowned Night Heron chicks -- Spring Island, SC -- June 6, 2012

Black-Crowned Night Heron parent has arrived to feed the raucous chicks -- Spring Island, SC -- June 8, 2012

Black-Crowned Night Heron parent looking to escape -- Spring Island, SC -- June 6, 2012

         We often see egret and heron parents taking a break from the unruly children such as in the photo below.

Black-Crowned Night Heron parent taking a break from the unruly chicks -- Spring Island, SC - June 6, 2012

         That Black-Crowned Night Heron was not the only parent taking a break.  This Great Egret parent also distanced herself temporarily from the children.

Great Egret parent with chicks on nest -- Spring Island, SC -- June 6, 2012

This Great Egret was ready for her/his break and moved a few branches over -- Spring Island, SC -- June 6, 2012

These Great Egret "kids" do not quite seem to understand why "Mom" left -- Spring Island, SC -- June 6, 2012

            The Little Blue Heron chicks?

Little Blue Heron chick -- Spring Island, SC -- June 6, 2012

Well, yes, they pester their parents, too!

Little Blue Heron chick clamouring after its parent -- Spring Island, SC -- June 6, 2012

         Among my wading bird favorites, Roseate Spoonbills, which are not known to breed here is South Carolina, rank high right alongside Wood Storks.  We seem to be seeing more and more of these birds in our summer months here in SC in recent years in a phenomenon called post-breeding dispersal.  Young birds and some adults move north off of their breeding grounds in Florida.  Carl and I had not yet seen any Roseate Spoonbills this year when this beautiful individual flew in to visit his "cousins" in the rookery.

Roseate Spoonbill -- Spring Island -- June 8, 2012

 

Roseate Spoonbill -- Spring Island, SC -- June 8, 2012

           After an hour and a half of shooting at the rookery, we decided that we had better spend some time exploring other parts of the island before we ran out of time.   We next went towards the area of the old plantation ruins.  All that remain are the tabby walls of the Edwards House and tabby walls of the water impoundments closeby.

The Edwards House ruins -- Spring Island, SC -- June 8, 2012

Outbuilding close to the Edwards House ruins -- Spring Island, SC -- June 8, 2012

Tabby ruins under the majestic oak alley -- Spring Island, SC -- June 2012

         Close to the house ruins are the Old Tabby Links ponds.  In "bird community" marsh on one of these ponds, Boat-Tailed Grackles nest in abundance.  We watched them interact and come and go with nesting material as they began building nests.  I also was able to photograph this courtship dance of a pair of them.

Boat-Tailed Grackle -- Spring Island, SC -- June 2012

  

Boat-Tailed Grackles in courtship dance -- Spring Island, SC -- June 2012

            Apparently, the Green Herons also preferred this area for nesting over the rookery.  We saw several of them chasing each other and flying to nests hidden in the wax myrtles.

Green Heron -- Spring Island, SC -- June 2012

Green Herons defending their turf -- Spring Island, SC -- June 2012

A Green Heron defending his turf -- Spring Island, SC -- June 8, 2012

          This was also a great area for watching the dragonflies!

Four-Spotted Pennant -- Spring Island, SC -- June 8, 2012

Halloween Pennant -- Spring Island, SC -- June 8, 2012

        The next photo is my lucky shot!  I was focusing on the Halloween Pennant when the aggressive Four-Spotted Pennant flew into to chase off the Halloween Pennant!

Halloween Pennant about to be chased away by a Four-Spotted Pennant -- Spring Island, SC -- June 2012

             Few places remain in the Lowcountry as refuges for Fox Squirrels and Spring Island is one of them.  In fact, they have a rather healthy population of Fox Squirrels.  This one obliged me for quite awhile.

Gray Fox Squirrel -- Spring Island, SC -- June 8, 2012

               In early June, the lotus flowers are beginning to open.  As I was setting up the photo, I did not know that I also was capturing the investigating fly -- another lucky shot!

Lotus bloom opening -- Spring Island -- June 2012

               Finally, to round out the final selection of photos, here are a few other local Spring birds that I was able to photograph that morning.

Eastern Bluebird keeping his eye on me as I watched his newly fledged youngsters slip away into the grass -- Spring Island, SC -- June 2012

House Finch -- Spring Island, SC -- June 2012

Red-Headed Woodpecker -- Spring Island -- June 8, 2012

         When I looked back over the selection of photos for this post, I marveled at the large number of great shots that I was able to obtain just during that one morning!  Spring Island offers so much in the way of fabulous, protected habitat for so many species, that for us, it was indeed a target rich morning!  Kudos to the Spring Island community for being a role model on living with wildlife and on protecting their habitats!  Carl and I wish again to express our hearty gratitude to Chris Marsh of the Spring Island Trust and of the Lowcountry Institute for this wonderful opportunity to photograph this little piece of heaven for wildlife and humans alike!