We just had to take advantage of the beautiful weather God blessed us with on Sunday, April 14! So we loaded our bicycles in the SUV and drove north up the coastline.
Destination: the vast Santee Coastal Reserve located off Highway 17 north of McClellanville. I have visited several times over the years but never took a bike. I did a two-part posting about this wildlife management area back in 2015.
Part I. Part II.
This website from South Carolina Trails includes a map of the route we took on our bikes, giving the ride an "easy" rating. I would say it's not exactly easy as you really need to pay attention because the conditions of the path differ from good to a little rough as you go along.
The goal today was to ride to the Intracoastal Waterway. It’s a few miles from the main parts of the reserve so bikes seemed like a fun and expedient way to get there. The trail, overall, was in good shape except for a few sandy patches.
The Intracoastal Waterway is an amazing engineering accomplishment for the country. The 3,000-mile inland waterway extends from Massachusetts to Florida, then curves along the Gulf Coast to Brownsville, Texas.
See, told you we made it there! The weather was really nice and the bug level was low. In the summer things can get rough out here with high temps and relentless mosquitoes, deer flies and other flying “favorites.”
We saw lots of alligators! They thrive in the ecosystem that used to be rice fields. Big wooden trunks, like the one shown here, controlled the flow of water in and out of the fields. This mix was essential to successful rice cultivation (by enslaved workers).
I spotted this one at the Intracoastal Waterway. We looked straight down on it from the path.
This is also a Bald Eagle, a juvenile one I believe, due to the white spots on its wings. I read that it takes five years for the young ones to reach adult plumage like the above Eagle.
A spot near the fishing pier was a hotspot for wading birds. A Great Blue Heron stands tall in the middle. Two Great Egrets are in the mix with their heads up. Some Wood Storks have their beaks in the water.
Here’s a cropped shot of the striking Glossy Ibis trio. Love their coloring!
You can see the Wood Storks better in this image.
The Santee Coastal Reserve entrance road has one of the best avenues of oaks in the S.C. Lowcountry.
The goal today was to ride to the Intracoastal Waterway. It’s a few miles from the main parts of the reserve so bikes seemed like a fun and expedient way to get there. The trail, overall, was in good shape except for a few sandy patches.
Once we got there we saw several vessels plying the waters, including this yacht whose skipper tooted the horn for us.
The Intracoastal Waterway is an amazing engineering accomplishment for the country. The 3,000-mile inland waterway extends from Massachusetts to Florida, then curves along the Gulf Coast to Brownsville, Texas.
See, told you we made it there! The weather was really nice and the bug level was low. In the summer things can get rough out here with high temps and relentless mosquitoes, deer flies and other flying “favorites.”
We saw lots of alligators! They thrive in the ecosystem that used to be rice fields. Big wooden trunks, like the one shown here, controlled the flow of water in and out of the fields. This mix was essential to successful rice cultivation (by enslaved workers).
This is a close-up of the gator framed in the image above.
Here's another one- huge and heavy!
It was nice of the gator to smile for the camera. 😀 Look at those teeth!
The birding was good! We saw Bald Eagles a few times in different places.
This is also a Bald Eagle, a juvenile one I believe, due to the white spots on its wings. I read that it takes five years for the young ones to reach adult plumage like the above Eagle.
More Bald Eagle photos can be seen on this post from last October when we last visited the preserve.
A spot near the fishing pier was a hotspot for wading birds. A Great Blue Heron stands tall in the middle. Two Great Egrets are in the mix with their heads up. Some Wood Storks have their beaks in the water.
A surprise that I didn’t see until looking at these images at home is the three Glossy Ibises in the background.
Here’s a cropped shot of the striking Glossy Ibis trio. Love their coloring!
You can see the Wood Storks better in this image.
Other birds spotted on this fine day were a Snowy Egret and a pair of Laughing Gulls.
A Red-winged Blackbird patrolling this “No Vehicles” area.
An Anhinga- "a long-necked, long-tailed swimmer of Southeastern swamps" as described by the Audubon Society.
I also just read that the feathers on this big bird are not waterproof.
They can often be seen on land with their wings extended, perhaps to dry those wet wings.
They are swimmers and do so with their thin necks and heads above water earning the nickname snakebird. Anhingas are also called something else. Their name comes from Brazil’s Tupi Indians and means “devil of the woods” or “devil birds.”
Devilishly handsome? You decide.
The Santee Coastal Reserve entrance road has one of the best avenues of oaks in the S.C. Lowcountry.
This image taken from inside my car is enhanced with Snapseed tools.
As is the next image…
This effect is called silhouette. I would like to return soon to this place. It has ruins of a plantation house that several years ago I found (not easy then), took photos, but didn't post on my blog for some reason. I don't think the bicycles will be needed for that excursion. I know where to turn and the walk shouldn't be more than one mile.
No comments:
Post a Comment