Birds and Gators Galore in the ACE Basin

 

It was great to be back in the ACE Basin last Sunday!  It had been a while old friend! 

The destination was the Donnelley Wildlife Management Area down south a ways from Charleston. 

I came armed with the Canon SX70 DSLR I received for Christmas (thank you Alesia ❤️) and the hat my sister Ann gave me years ago that says, “Life is Simple: Eat, Sleep, Bird.” 

It turned out to be an excellent day for seeing a variety of birds out in the wild. Alligators too. 

We parked at the Donnelley entrance area to see if we could see any Wood Stork nests deep in the woods near there. The photo below shows a tree infused with Spanish moss next to Donnelley’s visitor’s center, which was closed on this day. 

Controlled burns allowed me to walk farther out than during previous visits. White specks in the tree line behind me in the above photo indicated the presence of Wood Storks. 

I was able to get a few shots of one of my favorite birds. They aren’t the best, but here are a few. Keep reading to see another Wood Stork encounter at another part of the vast Donnelley preserve. 

Alesia took this photo. 

The next stop was a causeway that dissects a section of the land not far from the Donnelley entrance are. This  produced a favorite photograph of the day. 

Playing peak a boo is a Red-headed Woodpecker. I am pretty stoked about this capture since this type of woodpecker is not one I commonly see. This was the only shot I was able to get but I’m glad to have it. 

The Boynton House is a must stop at the Donnelley WMA. 

It’s looking as rundown and creepy as ever. 

OK, it is even creepier after seeing this new sign indicating that there are occupants inside.

BATS! 

And I did not know that bats roost.

Anyone home? I didn’t see any roosting bats but then I didn’t look too hard. I imagine up in the attic there might be some. 

The Boynton Trail is just down from the house. It offers several miles of hiking paths. And an old family cemetery to try to find if you feel really adventurous. 

This trio of Wood Storks was a nice surprise to encounter in this area where there have also been recent controlled burns. 

There didn’t seem to be anything to feed on here so it did seem a curious place for a hang. I think this is a family, based on the the Stork on the right being a youngster I believe. 

Here’s a closeup of the suspected offspring. And below we see the proud mom. Or dad? It is not easy to differentiate with this bird breed. 

 

I have always felt Wood Storks have a prehistoric look. They won’t win any beauty contest. But the white coat of feathers is pretty and plush on this one! 

We got a little thirsty walking the Boynton Trail but unfortunately couldn’t get any water from this old pump near the Boynton House. Just kidding! 

Interesting to think about when this was used by the family back in day 100 years ago or so. 

Our next stop was the cabin lodge section and here is where the birding got good! 

Here are a pair of Blue-winged Teal flanking a Greater Yellowlegs. 

Mottled Ducks. 

There were a number of photographers here on this sunny Sunday. I wish I had taken a few pix of my fellow shutterbugs. Guess I was too focused on the birds. 

This is a favorite bird and shot of the day. The sunlight caught this Glossy Ibis just right. 

Glossy Ibis. Spectacular! 

Great Blue Heron. This bird is so statuesque. 

Great Egret.

It was a nice surprise to also see some White Pelicans. 

White Pelican. 

Roseate Spoonbills- also a treat to see in this busy waterway. 

Anhingas always strike quite a pose while drying their wings and body. 

 

Blue-winged Teal. 

Yellowlegs, I believe this one is also of the Greater variety. The alligator is definitely of the greater variety. 

Another Yellowlegs. This one may be a Lesser Yellowlegs. I sought help on Whatbird.com’s bird identification forum with these Yellowlegs types. 

There were some perching birds that seemed to enjoy the high ground. 

Snowy Egret. I see your yellow slippers! 

Two Anhingas were in a tree behind the cars, photographers and the birds in and around the former rice fields that are common in the ACE Basin preserves. 

I photographed a total of 14 different types of birds on this day. The Donnelley Wildlife Management Area was so fun to visit on one fine spring day!