Cumberland Island - Gem off the Georgia Coast

Cumberland island is the largest, southernmost barrier island off the Georgia coast. When we first discovered this island, we came by kayaks loaded with gear and food for a weekend of primitive camping. We had only 1 day to revisit this gem, so we arrived by ferry. So what makes this place so special?

Black-bellied Plover

First of all, close to 10,000 acres of this 36,000 acre island have been designated a wilderness under the Wilderness Act of 1964. This means you will not find crowds nor will you find restaurants and hotels along the pristine beaches. You have a chance of rediscovering solitude in nature.

After we stepped off the boat, we followed a path through a forest of Live Oaks covered with Spanish moss, Southern Magnolias, Cabbage Palms and Saw Palmettos. The thick canopy of trees was filled with birdsong.

After walking a couple of miles through majestic old trees, sand dunes covered with sea oats and wildflowers replaced the maritime forest.

Just before we arrived at endless miles of pristine beach, we watched a Snowy Egret fishing. He stood on one leg while rapidly scratching underwater with his other foot. The goal is to stir up something to eat. 

Being able to walk along an isolated, undeveloped beach is a rarity these days. What a gift for all of us who benefit by those who had the foresight to preserve places in their natural state!

It didn't take long to deduce the fishing was great offshore. Countless terns, gulls and pelicans flew by with beaks full of freshly caught fish while shrimpers were casting their nets in nearby waters.

During nesting season, Loggerhead Turtle come ashore at night to lay their eggs on these deserted beaches.

For thousands of years, the island has been inhabited by various people. The earliest inhabitants are thought to be the Timucuan. Today, the Carnegie family's presence can be seen by both restored mansions and the ruins of the Dungeness. An excellent book on the history of the island is  

Cumberland Island: Strong Women, Wild Horses by Charles Seabrook.

You never know what you might encounter as you turn the bend. We found both wild horses and native wild turkeys roaming the grounds around the ruins.

Not only is it migration for birds, it is time for the movement of butterflies. As we were walking back to the ferry at the end of the day, one butterfly after another fluttered by us. It was pretty spectacular to see so many orange wings crossing our path.

Our day quickly came to an end leaving us with special memories.

"Preserving wilderness shows restraint and humility and benefits coming generations those "still in the womb of time".
Theodore Roosevelt

Chasing a Red-footed Booby

What a day! We drove a couple of hours south to St. Simon's Island in pursuit of the rare Red-footed Booby. Hurricane Juaquin was responsible for this Caribbean bird being diverted north to the Georgia coast.

When we arrived, we weren't quite sure where to start until we saw 11 scopes, 11 binoculars and 11 determined birders. If you saw the movie The Big Year, you can imagine the scene. We found the spot!

All eyes were on this shrimping boat. The Booby had been seen on it a couple of days earlier.

No such luck today! We, humans with optics, created lots of curiosity for the other people on the pier. After answering lots of questions as to what we were doing, we gave up on seeing the rare visitor and headed back north for the next desired bird on my list - the Roseate Spoonbill.

Banana Spider

Harris Neck Wildlife Refuge is a fantastic  place for birding. When we arrived it started pouring! When you have one day and you are a crazy birder, weather doesn't stop you especially when you live 2,000 miles away from this neat place.

 Plan A was to find the Roseate Spoonbill, Plan B was to look at all the other birds. We succeeded with Plan B.

Pied-billed Grebe with fish

Finally, the rain clouds passed enabling me to start scanning the trees and pond without getting soaked. My birding buddy persistently kept calling my name wanting me to stop what I was doing and look at something else.

I stopped to see what was so exciting. A green mucky covered alligator was hidden in the grass a few feet from where he was previously standing. Nothing quite like almost stepping on a gator to wake you up! 

Common Gallinule

 

Amazing that any bird would be IN the water with these guys swimming about.

Wood Duck

Little Blue Heron

We didn't see the Roseate Spoonbill but we saw a beautiful Wood Duck in the distance and a Little Blue Heron up close. Fantastic sightings!

 

 We made our way back to Tybee Island without seeing the Red-footed Booby or the Roseate Spoonbill but it didn't matter. We spent the day outdoors! So I thought our day ended with this beautiful sunset. Wrong! Surprises do happen. While I was writing this blog, we heard booming sounds outside. Dashing down the street, we saw a beautiful display of fireworks. When it ended, a passerby proclaimed, "The pirates have landed." It's pirate weekend. Tomorrow, I'll look for some pirates. It should be easier than the Red-footed Booby!

Rainy Days in Georgia

Thanks to Hurricane Joaquin off the coast, our first five days along the coast of Georgia have been filled with rain. Luckily, we aren't in flooded South Carolina.

Living in the land of drought, we LOVED hearing and seeing the sound of rain. However, we soon discovered that friends and family had enough of the wet days!

 

 Between the raindrops, we are out looking for wildlife. What could be better than an Osprey overlooking his fishing hole?

A Spotted Sandpiper surprised us as he bobbed along our dock.

Today was a day of rediscovering the Savannah Wildlife Refuge. What a great place!

An immature Yellow-crowned Night Heron was too busy fishing to mind our presence.

The Belted Kingfisher and Great Egret didn't seem too bothered either.

Along the dirt road, we saw a GIGANTIC grasshopper crossing the road. It would fill the palm of my hand if I was bold enough to pick it up.

Amidst the remaining water lilies, we spotted a couple of alligators.

Wow! The "big boy" was about 12 feet long; the other about 4-6 feet long. Impressive, indeed!

 Looking forward to each new day of discovery!

A Fall Feast

A Fall feast is going on where trees grow and mature providing pine cones full of nuts,

where acorns are plentiful for storing

and where the sap is flowing.

A feast is going on where flowers are still blooming...

 where the blooms have turned to seed...

 

and others have turned to berries.

 The abundance of fall insects is great for those who still have a long journey before them.

Water is a welcome part of the feast where ever it can be found.

If the "table is bare" where you live, it's not hard to create a wildlife sanctuary in your own backyard. Keep in mind the basics - food ,shelter and water. It is well worth the effort!

A place to begin with your ideas is your local nursery and Audubon society for plants that attract a variety of birds and butterflies.