When Don Mumford reran the video he took Saturday. All I heard was my voice saying "wholly moley!" Saturday was the Cumberland Island Christmas Bird Count. Marge Inness & I are assigned the mainland around Crooked River State Park. It is pretty standard birding. This year Do
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Debbie's husband, volunteered to take us out into some of the waterways in the count circle. We were looking around Grover Island, a marsh island, when we came up on this dock. It was COVERED with shorebirds. Black-bellied Plovers, dowitchers, Dunlins and a few Western Sandpipers were spread down this dock as far as the eye could see. I was supposed to count these birds. My brain just went, "Wow! you are on your own on this one. You can expect me to help you to draw but this, well I'm out of here." This happens sometime. When my brain decide, "Sorry this ain't happening." I have to take a deep breath and come back with" Ok, let's just take a moment. Can you take one bird?" My brain says, "Well maybe one." With that breath I take a few moments to take it all it. We watch as the bird swirl around and land rearranged on the dock. This wonderful sight of birds as far as the eye can see. At the very end of the video you can hear Don laughing. I enjoy hearing laughter.
Satu
rday was another Christmas Bird Count Day. This was the Okefenokee Swamp count. Now this is not the birdiest spots but it does have a few great birds. There is a Red-cockaded Woodpecker colony in my area. Annette Bittaker was my partner for the day. She & I marveled at the number of woodpeckers we found.
Around noon the woods got very quiet. After that we struggled to find the few birds that were around. Still it was fun to bird with Annette. Plus the swamp is beautiful. See.
We finished our count day with these wild turkeys. It was a great finish to a day of birding in a unique place.
