What the Walrus said . . .

Let me just start with this thought . . .

You would think that by now, in a world that has gone crazy blaming each other for the damage done to the environment and whatever the human part of Global Warming may be, that we collectively would realize that there has to be a better, cleaner, friendlier way to ring in the New Year than blowing things up!

I will step off my soap box now . . . Thank you!

I just turned on my raid so that I can access all of my 2023 photos. As I sit waiting for the external drive to spin up, I realize that I cannot clearly remember all or even most of the places I visited and the photographs I have taken over the past 365 days! I must be getting old!!  

February in the swamp can never be complete without seeing at least one of these woodland denizens . . . the beautiful Barred Owl. This year, however, the Barred Owl has earned a bad reputation in North America. It seems that as the weather across America has warmed, the Barred Owl has started to extend its range further west. Now the Fish and Wildlife folks want to kill hundreds of Barred Owls in fear that their encroachment west is going to threaten the already endangered Spotted Owl. But, typical for our Government, they (Fish and Wildlife) have not done any studies to support this claim, but they feel this is the “right thing to do!” Maybe, decades ago, the very same Fish and Wildlife folks should have fought harder to stop the clear cutting of western forests that were the home and breeding ground for the Spotted Owl, instead of waiting until they lumber companies almost eradicated the species. Oh . . . and these are the same folks that say Wind Turbines are “good” as they spin and decimate the nations bird populations . . . like I said, th3e world has gone crazy!

Obviously the winter was not too horrible in South Carolina. The swamp is already warming up nicely by mid-February, so much so that even the Anole are coming out of hiding to bask in the sun!

By February, the various rookeries around the “Low Country” of South Carolina are filled with nesting Egrets, Herons, Ducks and all sorts of water fowl. Eggs are being laid and incubated by expecting mothers, while the fathers are out gathering sticks to bring home to reinforce the nests before the new arrivals emerge. This Great Egret has found his perfect stick! It is fun to watch the nesting activities of these wonderful creatures, especially when the male spends twenty minutes of searching along the edge of ponds, through fallen trees, or sometimes even wrestling a branch off a dead stand, just to find the “perfect stick” For his mate. The male then has to lift and launch himself and his trophy into the air (sometimes not an easy feat to accomplish) only to get the stick home so the female can abruptly throw it out of the nest!! I have seen this happen countless times, and the male will just accept his failure, dive off the nest and go in search of yet another “perfect stick”.

By late February, the Azaleas start to bloom . . . if the winter hasn’t been too destructive or a killing frost in mid-month doesn’t wilt and damage the buds. Summerville, SC is prepping for the Annual Azalea Festival . . . and those of us who know how fickle February weather can be, cross our fingers and hope the flowers survive into March!

Here is a male Great Blue Heron presenting his idea of the “perfect stick” to the little woman of the nest. Luckily enough, she accepted his gift and set about pushing, pulling and weaving the slender bough into her home.

2023 was the year for Wood Ducks. Normally very timid and “flighty”, a bird that usually vacates an area when it sees humans getting too close, this year was astounding. We cannot say why it happened, but the majority of Woods Ducks that flew through Magnolia plantation Swamp Garden this year did not seem to worry too much about having their photos taken . . . and you can see just how colorful and special these great birds are to see up close.

I have to be honest and tell you that I am not a fan of this bird . . . the Anhinga. Over the past two decades I have seen their number greatly increase and they have slowly taken over some of the smaller rookeries. However, this male Anhinga is sporting his mating colors, and for about two months or so, these birds are very colorfully impressive!

In March the flowering shrubs, bulbs and perennials explode out of the ground, turning the swamps, especially the swamp gardens into a photographer’s paradise. Here is a Great Blue Heron stalking breakfast along the reed line in a small pond, seemingly oblivious to the beauty around it!

Another beauty of the swamp lingers close by, keeping an eye out for anything that passes that could be food. Personally, American Alligators have gotten a bad reputation as being dangerous and aggressive. I have spent many, many days in close proximity to these creatures and they honestly are more afraid of me then I am of them!

Even as late into March you can still find love in the air at the rookery! Hera, a male Snowy Egret struts his mating feathers as he performs his bobbing and weaving mating dance in the tree . . . hoping to attract the eye of an interested mate!! This birds were once hunted for their long feathery plumes just so women could have fancy hats!!

“You put your right leg out . . you put your right leg in . . .” a male Prothonotary Warbler stretches in the early morning as he searches for a mate in the swamp in April. These tiny birds migrate each year from Venezuela to the swamps of southeastern United States to mate and raise families. By July they will have all headed back to Venezuela to winter over.

April 2023 brought me many firsts! One such first was this handsome male Blue Grosbeak.

A gorgeous Red-winged Black Bird in mid-flight!

One of the 2023 newcomers to the swamp. This is an immature Snowy Egret still sporting its grey downy feathers.

A proud Great Blue Heron parent attends to its three voracious chicks. It seemed that the adult returned to the nest with no food and the kids were not happy!! The reason the adult has its head up high is simple, every time the beak came down the kids thought it was feeding time and tried to pry open the adults mouth and stick their heads in its throat!!      

Two Barred Owls mated again this year in Magnolia Plantation Swamp Garden, located outside Charleston, SC. We all waited like expectant parents for the little ones to emerge from the nest in the hollow of an old Great Oak. When they did it was a joyous occasion, From then on it was an almost daily trip to the swamp to find the chicks high up in the foliage and try to get their picture. I was at least kind of lucky with these! Even with their downy feathers these kids could fly through the woods at amazing speeds.

A male Prothonotary Warbler flies in a meal to its brood nestled inside of a hollow tree stump. Once the eggs hatch, and until the kids fledge and can feed on their own, both parents spend the day finding and catching insects to feed to the young.

One of my favorite birds to see is this one . . . a male Painted Bunting.

An Eastern Tiger Swallowtail Butterfly.

In May I traveled to St. Augustine, Florida, to spend three days photographing the rookery and nesting birds at St. Augustine Alligator Farm. I didn’t need my big lenses for this trip. The elevated walkway through the rookery puts you at eye level with the birds and close enough that they can reach out and touch you if the want! This is a mother Roseate Spoonbill sitting on her clutch of eggs.

Male Cattle Egret (still in his mating colors) tends the nest and his chick, that tiny bundle of down!!

Once they become adults they are the most beautiful and amazing bird to watch, but these Great Blue Heron chicks are just kind of ugly. I highly recommend a trip to the Alligator Farm, it is a truly fun and fascinating place to see.

Roseate Spoonbill chicks aren’t much prettier! LOL

Sometimes in the swamp, I get to make new friends . . .this is not one of them!! Yes, that is a Cottonmouth and they swim very, very well! This one locked onto me and was far too interested in what I was doing. I quickly moved on!!

I usually try to get into Cades Cove in the Great Smokie Mountains National Park in late April, keeping my fingers crossed that the Sows will bring their new years cubs out to be seen and start foraging. This year I arrived in mid-May and the cubs had yet to make any appearances. What I did get were some amazing shots of some slightly older bears, like this Yearling in the grass.

So suddenly it is June and nope . . . not Woody the Woodpecker!! This is a very large, very healthy Piliated Woodpecker. It is easily about 16″ tall and they can decimated a tree with that incredibly long, strong and sharp beak.

July brings warmer weather and Butterflies!! Who does not love Butterflies?? Especially trying to photograph them as they flit endlessly from blossom to blossom. This beauty is a Common Swallowtail Butterfly!

I spent my time in August and September getting up before the birds so I could get to where I needed to be at sunrise to sit patiently and wait for the Bald Eagle pair to arrive at there morning roost. There is a narrow area to shot through that looks up and into the top of the tree. It was sometimes arduous to be holding the camera at the ready and maintain focus waiting for them to fly in or fly out . . . but the time spent with my fellow birders and photographers under the tree was well worth the wait. Now if we could just make the mosquitos go away!!

October was ambush photography of a Red-Shouldered Hawk that was frequenting a mowed field. Here it is eating a nice big worm that it pounced on from its perch on an overhanging Oak tree.

. . . and there were more hours spent with the Bald Eagles!! LOL

November and I was still following the Bald Eagles . . . but now the Barred Owl had returned so . . . more hours and days in the swamp! (Great catch light in the Owl’s eyes right?? LOL)

November was for family and Thanksgiving without a lot of work with the camera. I spent days packing and unpacking my luggage and camera bag, prepping for the December trip to Patagonia. I totally hate being overweight on checked luggage (yep . . . I am cheap and hate paying overweight fees . . . which are exorbitant!) and the Chilean Airline is very stringent on a 23 kilo limit. I weighed in at 22.4 kilos . . . luckily they didn’t care about my camera bag, which was at around 16 kilos.

And if you read yesterdays Blog you know where and what I have been up to in December . . . so that is my 2023!!

The year has had some ups and downs, some high highs and some low lows. There is still a wunderlust in me that has yet to be sated and I want to get out and move more, see more, hike more to places I have never been. 2024 is going to be interesting. I have two trips to Northern California planned, one coming up fairly soon and again in October for my 50th High School Reunion!! Yes . . . I AM OLD!! LOL But with that said, the oldest person that traveled to Chile and went walking with us and the Puma was 78 years old!! I can only hope to be there when I reach that age . . . and still hope to not be done wandering and photographing the world!

It is now 9:50 PM, East Coast time. The New Year starts soon . . . so I will wish each and every one of you a Very< Very Happy New Year and send you all the best wishes!!

Matt