Trip to Huntington Beach State Park, SC

As promised in my last posting, here is a selection of photographs taken at Huntington Beach State Park just below Myrtle Beach in South Carolina. I made three trips to the park while we were there, and the weather was not the best on any of the visits. But, sometimes you just do with what you have, and then dress things up a bit when you download. So, here they are.

Dunlin

Cormorant - I liked the detail in the feathers.

Grackle

Sanderlings running all over the place.

Juvenile Brown Pelican

Circle B Bar Reserve Part 2

Here we have another selection of shots from the Circle B Bar Reserve taken recently. I am currently in Ashland, VA for the Christmas Holiday season with the Grand kids and their family. Following several days here, we will return to the sunny state of Florida. On the way up to Virginia, we stopped for a bit in Murrells Inlet, SC where I visited Huntington Beach State Park. Pictures from there will be posted here shortly.

White Ibis

White Ibis

Hawk with lunch.

White Ibis gathering.

Snowy Egret

Snowy Egret

Snowy Egret

White Ibis

White Ibis

White Ibis preening.

White Ibis being harassed by crows.

Black Vultures

Black Vultures

Circle B Bar Reserve Trip

Yesterday I spent 3 hours walking the trails and pathways at Circle B Bar Reserve. I managed to snap off 451 shots of mostly birds with a smattering of butterflies and an armadillo for good measure. The wintering bird life is increasing daily, and hundreds of coots, moorhens, ducks, and warblers can be found. Alligators seem a little scarce, but that is no surprise for this time of year.

Great Egret in a tree.

Great Egret scratching

Great Blue Heron at the nest.

Pied-billed Grebe

Blue-gray Gnatcatcher

American Wigeons take flight.

Black-bellied Whistling Ducks

Black-bellied Whistling Ducks in a fly by.

American Bittern

Limpkin scratching as I take the photo.

Snowy Egret portrait.

Tri-colored Heron looking for food.

Red-shouldered Hawk

White Ibis strutting it's stuff.

An upset Snowy Egret.

White Ibis coming in for a touch down.

White Ibis, Tri-colored Heron, Snowy Egret, White Ibis, and Little Blue Heron. (L to R)

House Wren

I opened the blinds to my front porch the other morning, looked out in the front yard, and saw something move in the bushes on my lawn. I picked up my camera, walked out under my carport, and snapped the following picture of a House Wren. Few people see them, even though the are all over the place. They can frequently be seen going into the bricks under our homes as they seek out insects to feed on. This one is sitting on the head of "Pete the Pelican" which belongs to my wife Betty.

Wading Limpkin

On the lookout for the next snail meal.

White Ibis

Taken at Circle B Bar Reserve in Lakeland, FL.

Red-bellied Woodpecker

They are named not for the red coloring on their head, but for the tinge of red on their belly. Here we first have a male just outside my home on an orange tree. Then, we have a couple of shots I took yesterday at the Circle B Bar Reserve in Lakeland, Florida. I caught the last shot just as the bird was leaping off the top of the dead tree to take off. You will notice that the male has red color on the entire top of his head, whereas the female just has it on the neck area.

Portrait of an Osprey

Got this yesterday in Saddle Creek Park in Lakeland, FL.