ACE Basin- No Bears but Many Birds and Gators at Bear Island

 

It was good to get out of the house Sunday and make the lengthy drive south to the ACE Basin. The vast protected preserve is worth the drive time because it’s always a great commune with nature. And it’s so quiet out there except for the calls of birds and the grunts of alligators. And we did see lots of both. 

To follow are my photographs that show some of what can be seen at the precious preserve called the Bear Island Wildlife Management Area.

This long road dissects the 12,000-acre undeveloped property. It extends from the entrance straight to the outer limits of Bear Island. 

Summer Saturday in February!

A Saturday outing to Sullivan’s Island turned out to be a very fun day. Winter? Not this day, more like a summer day based on the warm weather and busy beach activities seen in this photo. 

It has been a year now since the coronavirus crisis began worldwide. And what a long, stressful year it has been. You can tell in this photograph that people are so ready for things to get back to normal. 

There was plenty of activity on the water also. It was a perfect day for sailing and boating. 

Indigo Bunting Sunday Visit

 The last day of February brought a neat treat Sunday morning as I was reading the newspaper on my back porch. This is why if I’m sitting out there for any length of time I have my trusty Canon SX50 with me. 

A blue flash caught my eye. Was it “just” another Eastern Bluebird? Don’t get me wrong, that’s a gorgeous bird that I’m always happy to see and photograph. But I do see them all the time in my yard. 

No, this is an Indigo Bunting, a juvenile or immature one at that. And a banded one as well. Note in the above photo the clear round plastic around the right leg. A birder told me it could have a band around its left leg also but I can't see that leg in the photos I took. The bird stayed behind the feeder, maybe so it could keep an eye on me sitting just a dozen or so feet away.  

This was the first time I can recall seeing an Indigo Bunting in my backyard. Years ago, I photographed one at the old Kings Grant Golf Course not too far from where I live. That was an adult one. 

I’m hoping for a revisit soon! Hopefully, the food was appreciated and will be remembered. 

Finally, from whatbird.com here some interesting tidbits about the Indigo Bunting: 

• Indigo Buntings are actually black; the diffraction of light through their feathers makes them look blue. This explains why males can appear many shades from turquoise to black.
• They are more common now than when the pilgrims first landed. This is due to an increase in their favorite habitat of woodland edges, such as power line clearings and along roads.
• They migrate at night, using the pattern of stars nearest the North Star to guide them. In captivity, these birds will become disoriented if they can’t see the stars in April/May and September/October.
• A group of buntings are collectively known as a "decoration", "mural", and "sacrifice" of buntings.