I know, where have I been? Or, more importantly, where have the Creature Features been? The short answer, keeping my head down and out of the line of sneeze. I’d made a couple short excursions out on the lake this month, but it took a holiday (US) to spend some Real Time out there and pull the pictures together to post.

This one was from a couple weeks ago, when a bright sunny day brought out the turtles:

Osprey showing us would-be fliers how it’s done:

And how to operate in tight spaces:

Osprey chick on the nest. I’m pretty sure that’s a chick there, because if the adults are around, they’ll be warning me off by the time I get this close.

For the record, I heed their warnings, because, hey, they’re the parents, they know what’s best for their little ones.

Ducks and geese are around all the time.


There are duck boxes all around the lake. I’ve never seen a duck use one, and they’re all in some degree of decay. This one seems to have aspirations of being a Chia Duck Box:

Grabbed the camera when I saw this bird flying over head. I wasn’t sure, but a close look at this not-so-great photo shows that he is a Bald Eagle:

How apropos for a national holiday.

Humans spend a lot of effort keeping their aircraft in top shape and making sure everything is in place prior to flight. Then along comes a ;Turkey Vulture missing a bunch of primaries flying around like it’s nothing:

I’m not sure if I never noticed this spot before, or just as likely maybe something has changed, and I found this little inlet to a nice lush forested wetland.

Always when I start thinking I’ve seen it all out there, Nature throws something else in front of me. Speaking of which, lots of squirrels hang around under the bird feeders in my back yard, but this chipmunk snuck in with them:

And, of course, the obligatory Great Blue Heron pic. I spotted this one on top of a snag through the trees:

They always look so awkward when they launch from a tree…

but once on those big broad wings, they’re as graceful as any bird.

It’s been a busy year so far (to say the least), and now with the “civilized” world grinding to a halt, it might be good to pause and reflect that the rest of the world goes on. My suggestion: find a way to get outdoors, while maintaining your social distance.

On that subject, IMHO the best way to get past this current unpleasantness is that social distancing. The virus needs humans to make more of itself, and if we deny it that, it’ll die back.

I had planned to spend a day at Croft State Park, but found they’re now closed on the day I showed up (I now see where SC state parks are just closed for the duration; sigh). So I made the best of it, took a walk in the local woods, and as the day warmed up, broke in my 2020 boat permit.

Recent rains had plenty of water pouring out the lake overflow.

and some of the trails along the creek were pretty soggy from the slosh-over.

In the woods, it’s a lot harder to spot the wildlife, but this Chipping Sparrow came out on the path long enough to snap some pictures:

Up topside, the high water level let me get into those little nooks and crannies around the lake I like to poke into, like this little spot with a small feeder bubbling into the lake up at the far end, almost like a miniature waterfall:

The sun poked through the clouds occasionally, but that was enough to bring out the turtles. Two’s company:

but maybe three’s a crowd:

Five definitely is a crowd:

Up above the lake, I didn’t see many Great Blue Herons around (sorry, no obligatory GBH picture this time), but the Double-Crested Cormorants were all up and down the lake.

I’ve said it before, just when I think I’ve seen it all, Nature throws something else up in my face, like the Chipping Sparrow mentioned above, which I saw for the first time. I also spotted a couple little creatures on a tree trunk. Maybe they climbed up there to escape the rising waters, as this tree would normally be on dry land.

That wasn’t a lot of wildlife pictures from out on the lake, so I’ll fill in with a few from a busy backyard feeder.

Lots of comings and going, a Blue Jay comes, a Red-Bellied Woodpecker goes…

Mourning Dove approaches:

Mourning Dove and Tufted Titmouse share the seeds:

No mistaking the Northern Cardinal, and downstairs a Dark-eyed Junco:

Now it’s the Blue Jay‘s turn to bolt. Gear up!

I know, where have I been? Lately my calendar has looked more like grated Swiss cheese, rather than anything with any sense of order. Oh well, at least it can serve as a source of entropy if I need more random numbers.

The weather lately has had me guessing if I’m opening the windows to cool off the house or warm it up. This afternoon it turned into the latter, and I took advantage of that post-cold-front downslope-warmed air to get out on the lake a bit.

It must have been a good soaring day, because the large birds were up there, like this Black Vulture:

A lot of the part-timers have moved to their winter homes, but the Canada Geese are year-rounders here:

On a nice sunny day like this, the turtles were out all over the place taking advantage:

Wait! Don’t go! Dang wind drifted me too close…

I’m not sure why this Great Blue Heron was holding his beak open like this; it looks like maybe he was having an issue swallowing something.

She was able to fly away as the wind drifted me in just a little too close (again – I try to not do that):

I generally like to keep a positive note, but this was one of those times when I came back in with more litter than pictures to post.

With all of Nature out there to enjoy, why the beer (which, BTW, is prohibited by the lake rules, as is, of course, littering)? And evidently there are people who think the lake needs more water. News: it doesn’t.

I had just a little time this morning, so it was off into the dawn to get in a little paddling. With the early light, I didn’t expect much in the way of pictures, but Nature was on full display and I managed a few publishable shots.
Yes, the Great Egrets are back. This is the time of year I see them around here.

I reached an impasse working my way up a little feeder creek, but just as well, as I didn’t want to disturb what appeared to be a family of Raccoons.

And then while I was snapping pictures of them, a Great Blue Heron comes strolling by right behind the Raccoons.

There was a splash, and I assume he either got breakfast or nearly so, and then ambled back the other way; you can see a Raccoon tail in the lower right. Consider this the obligatory Great Blue Heron picture.

Many humans declare summer to be over on this Labor Day (US) holiday, and some use the Autumnal equinox to mark the spot. But for most, the change of seasons is more of a process, rather than a point in time.

As the nestlings grow to fledglings and juveniles and start to fend for themselves, the breeding season winds down, leaving things noticeably quieter around the lake. Some of the part-time residents are either making preparations or are already migrating to their winter habitats.

These Geese are year-round residents:

This little Killdeer, being eyed by the Goose, seemed rather pale in color, but the call was definitive. If you look carefully, you can see the obligatory Great Blue Heron back in the woods on the left.

The Turkey Vultures are also full-timers (I guess the year-round road kill around here keeps them fed):

Last time I wrote about almost being fooled by juvenile Little Blue Herons, but this big white bird is definitely a Great Egret. I only see them around here during this time of year, so they’re the migrating sort.

Speaking of Turkeys, I’ve seen Wild Turkeys, but this is the first time I’ve seen any right around the lake (just when I think I’ve seen it all, Nature throws something else in front of me):

There’s something about being out in the open under a low cloud layer. It’s almost like being in the air among the clouds (been there, done that), and gives me a tremendous sense of the sheer scale of the sky. It’s big.

Yesterday’s thunderstorms must have wrung some of the dampness out of the atmosphere, because this morning one could almost think there was a touch of fall in the air. Well, maybe just a little, with the temperature and dewpoint a good 5F below what they’ve been in recent mornings. With mostly blue skies and a light breeze, it was a really good time to be out on the lake at sunrise.
The weather this year seems to have been hard on a lot of the trees. It didn’t look like there was much holding this one down.

Reaching the northwest end of the lake, I came across a juvenile White Ibis. I’d seen one once before, although obviously not this same one: the first one would not be in juvenile plumage now.

When I set out I spotted a few bits of white feathers on the water. I figured the Egrets were back (I usually see them in late summer/early autumn); I’ve seen Great Egrets around here. I found the white birds hanging out up at the end of the lake.

A careful examination of the photos, however, shows that these are actually young Little Blue Herons. Obviously there must be adult Herons around here too that I haven’t seen. What’s interesting is that most of the range maps either don’t show them in this area, or we’re right on the edge of their range.
Of course, the other residents were active, like the Canada Geese.

And, of course, the obligatory Great Blue Heron picture.

A little catch up from what I had in the camera, and a little catchup on paddling.
Sunrise: my favorite time of day.

Early in the morning like this, and with our usual summertime humidity that can be measured in liters/gallons, some fog is inevitiable;

Still, there are those little nooks and cranies around the lake that are pretty neat.

But enough of the scenery, on with the creatures to be featured today, like this Cormorant and Goose:

The Osprey were on the job:

Ok, one more bit of scenery. Recent storms left a number of freshly-downed trees around the lake, but this chunk had been there for a while. Between the reflection and refraction, it looks like a really big arrow crash-landed in the lake (shot by a really big creature?):

I don’t know if this is the work of some creature, but it almost has to be, even if that creature is a human. It resembles what results when a roll of hay gets away and lands in the lake, but not quite. There are beavers active in this area:

We know the Herons go in the trees, but it’s rather rare to see one sitting out in the open like this. The obligatory Great Blue Heron picture:

One thing about weather in the Carolinas, if you don’t like it, just wait a minute. In my last post a little over a month ago I was out in near-freezing conditions to take a walk in the woods. Then we had sleet. Then astronomical winter started. Today it was warm enough to put on shorts and a T-shirt and wring one last lake trip out of my 2018 boat permit.
A couple months ago, things looked like this:

What a difference a season makes:

So now we’re getting into winter (again?), and everyone is settling in, and not a lot of wildlife is visible. Many have left for the winter, and those here (either wintering or year-round) are keeping a low profile. Like these Cormorants:

And some Buffleheads:

I was trying to get a picture of something else and ended up with this bit of “artwork”:

With the lake level up from recent rains (we’ve been getting a good bit of that lately), I was able to get in to more nooks and crannies around the lake. Like this little spot:

A floating bit of debris up ahead? Or…

It’s not often you see floating debris with a nose and eyes…

Yeah, that was a Beaver.

Turtles were out too catching some late-season sun:

So, that’s most of the major groups, birds, mammals, and reptiles. And one plastic boat.