Roseate Spoonbills on Jekyll

Well our young spoonbills are back at the amphitheater pond on Jekyll. There were 5 last Thursday. Ok, they were across the lake. The lake was pretty that day. Here is my attempt to digiscope them. I could not get all five in the scope. On Friday there were three flying over the causeway. There is nothing like a little pink to make my day.

Swallows on the beach

I guess you could say that swallows fascinate me. I can not wait for August to see when the barn swallows start streaming through. Hot does not bother me when I have 400 barn and bank swallows swirling around me. Then there are tree swallows in November.
On Thursday November 18 I did not have to worry about the heat. The day was perfect. Blue skies, perfect temperature, great tide level and good company. Now add swallows and it is hard to beat it.

Priscilla and I were walking on St. Andrews Beach at the south end of Jekyll Island. The tree swallows were all around us. First they were in the dunes all those dots are swallows then on the beach swirling and twirling. Wow!

Going To watch birds

Making new birders is a goal of mine so when Nell called me for a Bird Ramble with her granddaughter I went for it. It was a short Ramble. Lilith was right with me the whole time. On the beach, there were quite a few small horsecrabs. She had a blast finding them. It is important to make the connection between other creatures and the birds. We talked about the differences in the birds on the beach. Here is Lilith helping to finish some of the drawings. Toward the end of the Ramble she was looking for birds on her own. She had a great time.

Sunsets early

With the time change the sun is setting as I go home. Here are a couple of images I shot last night. Amazing sky

Starting a new project

Wednesday, I began a project with the Glynn County Mosquito Control. It is a study of a small pocket marsh. I will perform quarterly bird surveys. The area is east of the Clam Creek bike path. The bike path now acts like a dike. The small covert does not allow the tidewater to flow naturally. They are going to put bridge and see how it will help. The idea is to monitor the changes in this small marsh. I look forward to watching the changes.
Here a view of the pocket marsh near the bike path.This a view in the middle of the area. The area is home to several Sedge Wrens.

Hordes of Tree Swallows

Thursday was warm and wet. Friday was chilly and breezy. It is quite a change. On the way on to Jekyll, I had to stop.

Tree Swallow were amazing. Look! This was on Friday. On Sunday they were still swarming but not in the hordes on Friday.

Shorebirds to hawks

It was a warm, wet day. I wasn't sure the ramble was going to go. It looked like it was going to pour any minute. However, the tides were suitable for lots of shorebirds. I just had to go. It was worth it. Shorebirds, gulls, terns, and skimmers were up and down the south end from the 4-h center to Jekyll Point.

We were the only ones who noticed this gathering. This Bald Eagle came in for a “look see.” Just about the same time, a Merlin flew in from the northwest. The Merlin did not stick around when the eagle landed. It flew off north. About the same time, a male Northern Harrier seemed to drop in and fly low over the dunes. We watched as it flew southwest over the beach over the water and out of sight. Hawks and shorebirds a great way to spend a morning. By the way, it didn't rain either.