The tour started before we left the club house. There were ibis and three Wood Storks feeding on something by the pond. As we watched the Wood Storks, an Osprey flew by carrying a fish back to the nest across the street on a cell phone tower.
The birds on this course were very active therefore we got to have good looks at the tiny creatures. Time flew by as we watched, Blue-gray Gnatcatchers, White-eyed Vireo, Northern Parulas, Brown-headed Nuthatches and one stunning look at a Yellow-throated Warbler.
Look at this picture…WOW! 
We were having such a good time with these little birds I had to rush to get in the Rookery at Hole #4.
Still it was wild all the noise and commotion with a large alligator lurking. At one point a juvenile Snowy Egret got too deep in the lake. It was hard to watch it struggle but it made it out without becoming dinner. Drama is a common occurrence in a rookery. Look at these Anhingas. 
On the way back to the club house, I scoped the new martin house on Pine Lakes Golf course hole # 17. This house was donated by the Jekyll Island Ladies Golf League. Don Bailey found the best location and Jekyll Island Golf Course Staff put it up. Good job guys for there was at least one pair using it!
Time just went too fast. When I tallied up the birds we saw and heard, we had forty species of birds plus other wildlife like this fawn.
It reminds me to tell you that at the Georgia Coast Birding and Nature Festival October 7-10 we are going to be doing the Golf Course Nature Tours. Mark your calendar and join us for a great time.
Great Pics. Who needs golf when nature is so bountiful?
ReplyDeleteLoved this post and the pictures are outstanding! We just vacationed on Jekyll for a week and was able to tour the Pine Lakes course while they were aerating. It was the highlight of the trip! I've never seen so many species of birds in one place. I encountered many *firsts* while on Jekyll..first gator in the wild.. first Anhinga, first woodstork. It's a wildlife lovers paradise and we will be back!
ReplyDeleteHi Kimmy, I am so glad you were able to tour Pine Lakes. Those golf courses are very rich in wildlife. Exploring is such fun. You never know what you might find. Glad to hear about your "firsts" or lifers. Aren't those Anhingas a neat mix of elegants and clowns?
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