Good News for the plovers and bad news for a deer

It was an exciting Wednesday July 27. First, I heard from the Georgia Sea Turtle Center’s Turtle Patrol that at least one of the Wilson’s Plover chicks made it through the rains and high tides. It must have been hiding in the dunes. That the way these birds survive. So now the chick watch begins.

I had a nice family last night for the Golf Cart Nature Tour. It was fairly quiet. There were Brown-headed Nuthatches all around us. An Eastern Kingbird was hawking for insects. There were lots of insects to find. They were finding us. However the insect couldn’t bug us too much at the tee at Pine Lake number 7.
There is a pond. In that pond there were Roseate Spoonbills, Wood Storks, Anhingas but something else caught our attention.
There was something moving in the water. It looked like a brown ball. It was bouncing around. Then the alligator head popped up. It was pushing the brown ball around. The gator then proceeded to turn in the water. There was lots of splashing and the water around the brown ball turned dark. Oh my goodness, the brown ball was a deer. If that was not enough across the pond a large alligator began swimming for the brown ball and smaller alligator. This gator just ran into the ball and splashing followed by the big gator holding the brown ball. Wow! That is second time I have seen gators fighting over food this year.
Sorry there are no pictures of the food fight. I will leave you with a more peaceful picture of another pond on Pine Lakes number 7.

Week in review July 13 & 14

Last week, I was joined on my rambles by James and Rachel. They are retired teachers. I enjoy teachers. They have a nature curiosity that is contagious.
Wednesday, we explored Pine Lakes Golf course and found the Roseate Spoonbills.
On Thursday we saw the Wilson's Plover still nesting. Any day now, there may be chicks running around in the dunes. Keep your fingers crossed.
We also found fledgling Least Tern chicks being escorted by their parents. They are so young. Here is one that is still huddling down to hide.
On the walk back, there was a Wilson's Plover feeding in the surf.
Here is a parting shots from James Williamson. He just got a new camera. He took all the large pictures in this blog. He does a great job, don't you think? Thanks James for letting me use these photos in the blog.

The pond on Pine Lake Golf Course

Since April, I have been working nonstop pulling together the Georgia Coast Birding and Nature Festival, October 7-10, 2010. This work kept me inside this summer except for the Wednesday evening tour on the Jekyll Island Golf courses, called the Golf Cart Nature Tour. In August, it seemed I was on Pine Lakes Golf Course. It has a pond between holes numbers 11 and 12 that is just great! There are always herons, egrets, Wood Storks, Roseate Spoonbills, White Ibis and Anhingas resting around it. There were flocks of Pine Warblers generally near by on the ground. Yes, there was no looking up. They were on the ground. Pretty cool. Here is a view of the pond.

I mentioned that my little point and shoot camera does best when I shoot thru the scope. Here is a picture of a young White Ibis. It is not great but it works for me.

Indian Mound Golf Cart Nature Tour

Last night was the second Golf Cart Nature Tour of the season. Paula and Garry came along to explore Indian Mound golf course. This is an amazing place. Thanks for sharing your photos, Garry.

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.