Piping Plovers on East Beach, St. Simons Island

Today, I went to East Beach for a beach walk. This wonderful little section of beach is ruined for me because of loose dogs. There is a lack of respect on the part of the owners of these dogs. They do not pick up after their dogs. However, I could live with that but there are a lot of shorebirds on this beach. The dog owners use these birds as dog toys. They delight in having their dogs chase the birds, sending the shore birds flying time after time.
Anyway this is my pet peeves…Sorry for the rant.
Well today, Priscilla & I were on a quest. We wanted to see a Piping Plover. The Piping Plover like this beach. I pulled up to Gould’s Inlet and the first bird I saw was an American Oystercatcher. It was banded with a yellow leg band. This bird was banded in Massachusetts. Right next to it was a Marbled Godwits. They were both on a sand spit so no dog could get to them. There 100’s of birds mostly skimmers resting out on the sand spit. Everything was still there when Priscilla pulled up. Then we started the walk. This area is always changing but the large pond in the middle of the beach was still there. As I looked around the edge it looked bleak when I spotted 5 birds hunkered down in the wrack grass and small dunes. Four were Piping Plovers. Yea! We could see one was banded. It was so good to see them. See. Georgia Graves has turned these color band sequence into the banding lab. More later.

Bath Time at Jekyll's Wild Birds Unlimited Nature Shop

For the last few weeks, I have been watching the bird bath at Wild Birds Unlimited Nature Shop where I work. It has been so dry that the birds are just jumping into the bath. It is so much fun watching the frenzy of Bluebirds and Cedar Waxwings.
Here is another view of the birds.

There are other special birds coming as well. There are three Yellow-bellied Sapsucker coming to the bath. Here the female.
I would like to thank Priscilla and Ted Fleshman and CCS for donating a laptop to my bird conservation efforts on Jekyll Island. Thanks guys!

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year, May 2012 bring good times for all our special places and the special people who work to keep them special.

Happy Holiday for the Georgia Coast

It is Christmas in the Golden Isles. This year the weather is mild and the colors are wonderful. Here are some blue berries of the Red Cedar Tree. Birds love these berries. I have seen Eastern Bluebird, Yellow-rumped Warbler, and Pine Warblers all eating them. Native plants add beauty to our life and help native animals.
After a little rain our Hickory Trees turned gold for the day. I wish you all a Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays from the Golden Isles of Georgia coast.

Birder's Eye View, A book review

Just in time for the Holidays, my friend, Diana Churchill has come out with a wonderful book. Diana has been writing a birding column “Birder’s Eye View” for the Savannah newspaper for years. She has taken some of her best columns and put them into a book. It is titled Birder’s Eye View, Savannah & The Low Country.
But wait it isn’t just a collection of stories about birds. She has put a lot of thought into why birds are here along the Georgia coast. Diana has included a section on habitats. She also includes a resource section for those who want to visit the area and needs some tips. The habitat descriptions and resource guide makes this book an invaluable reference guides for the visitors who wants to explore our coast.
The book is divided into seasons and then by months. Each month has a few charming vignettes of the birds you might find in those months. She adds a section on the backyard for those who want to attract birds to yard. You can meet Diana and see her book at Wild Birds Unlimited in Savannah. I am excited to see this delightful book on the shelves at Wild Birds Unlimited Nature Shop at Jekyll Island just in time for the holidays. Check it out!

Peregrine raid

Last Thursday, It was chilly. Ok for me, it was cold. However, nothing was stopping my hardy Rambler group from exploring. The tide seemed just right so we were off for a hike to Jekyll Point. We notice the birds were spooky. Red Knots were flying about here and there. It was interesting to watch. I finally spotted an American Oystercatcher, and then Rob spotted five more, then another one. It was great. We got to see a Black Skimmer and compared the two different species. Then the birds all flew. A large Peregrine Falcon came into view. It flew over the birds a few times. Then it landed up the beach. Now that was something to see.

The Peregrine raid made me forget I was cold.

Sorry for the poor picture but this bird was way up the beach.

Bird Sanctuary caretakers

Yesterday, I went to the Jekyll Island Campground Bird Sanctuary. Elliott and Wilda Corbett, the campground host, were working. They work hard to make the sanctuary look so good. They keep the feeders clean. They make sure the water is flowing. They do so many little task so we all can enjoy this sanctuary. Thanks guys for making this place a great place to watch a wide variety of birds as well as a place to come and reflect.

When I walked up they had exciting news. Someone donated $1000 to the sanctuary. Thanks to that wonderful person as well.