I was listening to bird sounds at the landing before launching Kingfisher. I had named the Sunfish this bird for some similar characteristics – active, small, not speedy, and a distinctive look while in flight. I recalled last October finding a quiet place, a secret spot, along the Middle Prong in Walker Valley in the […]
I really didn’t need another project. I used to joke about how I had projects for my next several lives. This facetious idea was the result of a 1980 decision to embark on an ultimate do-it-yourself project – designing and building a house. It was a choice based on youthful energy and naivete. With the
Table to the world Read More »
My neighborhood walk always has a common destination – the landing on the Intracoastal Waterway. It is my window to Cape Romain National Wildlife Refuge – the world of creeks and salt marsh, and Bull Island in the distance. Wildlife inhabits this world, on and below the waters, on shell rakes and mudflats, and in
A place of many natural attractions, Bull Island now had a new visiting star, a flamingo, courtesy of Tropical Storm Idalia. The storm had transported many of these birds from the Yucatan throughout the southeast and even to Ohio and Wisconsin. These pink creatures became magnets for a range of people from ornithologists to more
There were a number of river crossings on the way to the mountains. Enoree, Tyger, N. Pacolet, Green. My excitement grew as the elevation rose on a trip postponed for two years. I was following the waters of the Santee watershed to its upper elevations at the Blue Ridge. I met my old friend Mike
Following the waters Read More »
The forest canopy resounded with the explosive whoosh of a large bird taking flight – actually two. One lit on a branch above my path, and another to the right. These barred owls, disturbed in the early morning, did not sound their usual call, but instead a hissing (Cornell Lab of Ornithology identifies these calls
Search for Wildlife Read More »
In the process of submitting the manuscript for my second book, Tracing the Cape Romain Archipelago, I had the unpleasant task of having to reduce the book’s length. Several of my trips did not make the final revision. The following is a sail to Cape Island on September 22, 2006. Unfortunately photos from that day
A once and future inlet Read More »
After the launch, the lack of wind was perfect for a kayak trip to Bull Island. These conditions were optimal too for spotting a loggerhead, or perhaps to hear its gasping exhalation. April is the month when I have observed these marine reptiles before the females begin their nesting in May. Paddling steady with the significant
Lookout for loggerheads Read More »
A morning with full sun, no-seeums, and without wind at the landing. A kingfisher flew by; the outgoing tide had two hours before dead low. I had a need to launch at that moment before the landing became dominated by pluff mud. I cast off without raising sail, and unconsciously began paddling while standing. Kingfisher
We returned to the Cape Trail at Santee Coastal Reserve, again. Groundhog Day? No. Was there anything new to see? Yes, always. At the parking area, my neighbor Brantley and I were the first arrivals, on this second day after the Cape Trail and its expanse of impoundments were open again to the public after
Rutledge Road was the last leg of the journey to the kayak launch. After Hampton Plantation, the road passed through the Germantown community before changing to dirt, and traversing Francis Marion National Forest and White Oak Forestry. Entering the swamp, I crossed the bridge over Wambaw Creek, and prepared for launching at the small landing.
I stepped onto a frosty deck at the landing, the air 34 degrees, before my neighbor Brian Doran arrived and launched his boat at 7AM. Stepping on to the likewise icy deck required care. We soon were motoring out for a smooth passage to Bull Island. We started our hike around 7:40, ahead of the
Frost, fur and feathers Read More »
