Fall Magnolia Cemetery Visit

 

We stopped by Magnolia Cemetery last Saturday after a nice lunch downtown at Fleet Landing. 

It was such a pretty day I thought it would be fun to walk off our big meal at the cemetery.

Joseph took this photo of me at the iconic Smith Pyramid, eternal home to William Burroughs Smith, a wealthy banker who died in 1892. 

The pyramid and hundreds of other gravesites and the people interred in them are featured in my 2014 book, "In the Arms of Angels: Magnolia Cemetery- Charleston's Treasure of History, Mystery and Artistry." Check it out as well as my other books for sale on Amazon. My book information is also available at the top of this blog. 

On this sunny fall day I also wanted Joseph to see the spot we are purchasing in the mausoleum at Magnolia Cemetery.

I still have a number of monthly payments to make. But once that is accomplished we can have our names inscribed on the outside. Kind of creepy I know, but kind of cool too! 

Here are some of the pictures I took as we walked around the venerable150 acre burial grounds. Someone put a tiara on the lovely figure on the tomb of "Little Annie" Aiken who was just shy of 3 years old when she died at 1856 of diphtheria, a bacterial disease that a vaccine today can cure and prevent. 

Christmas Time Bird Surge!

 

Tis the week before Christmas and all through the yard and pond creatures are stirring. Especially birds.

The current spell of colder weather was highlighted by a damaging nor’easter on Sunday, Dec. 17 that wreaked havoc in the Charleston area. Fortunately we had no major problems here in North Charleston. 

Since that storm, temperatures have hit freezing overnight. 

This is a favorite new photograph of a Wood Stork at dusk on the edge of a pond near my backyard. 

Bird activity at our backyard feeders has been frenzied as the chill in the air has our feathered friends eager to fill their bills and bellies. 

Eastern Bluebirds and Chipping Sparrows have been among at least a dozen species I have spotted. I’ll show some more feeder photos later but first…

Wood Storks are not regular guests at the golf course pond near our backyard so it definitely caught my eye to see this one the day of the big nor’easter. Maybe it was blown off direction! 

This Stork had a fishing partner in a Great Egret. Ahead in this post is video I took of the Wood Stork hunting in the small pond. 

Rainy Visit to Magnolia Cemetery

 

It had been a while since I’d been to Charleston’s Magnolia Cemetery. I had the itch to go after seeing recent bird photos posted on the Facebook site, “Magnolia Cemetery Photographers Group.”

The forecast looked wet but we decided to go anyway. When it began to pour I took several pictures through the open car window. This is the iconic Smith Pyramid, an ancient Egyptian-influenced mausoleum erected for wealthy banker William Burrough Smith after his death in 1894. 

Another favorite site here is that of Annie Kerr Aiken (1853-1856). Her ornate box tomb is among more than two dozen graves in the large partially fenced Aiken-Martin plot near the back pond. 

“Little Annie” was a month shy of 3 when she passed in 1856 of the throat disease diphtheria. The child depicted in the sculpture isn’t necessarily a likeness of her, though it could be. 

Ever since I’ve been coming to Magnolia Cemetery (15 years now) there have been small items placed here by her fans, people like me who also admire this beautiful and poignant bit of artistry commissioned no doubt by her loving parents. 

Note the yellow ducks at her feet. Someone even put a tiara on Annie’s head. What a thoughtful gesture! 

In this rain, she could use a blanket, but Little Annie has slept through worse, including countless hurricanes and tropical storms. 

Her parents, Joseph and Ellen Aiken, are buried in this plot near their precious daughter. 

Wood Stork A Nice Sight to See (Belted Kingfisher Too)

 

Since Hooded Mergansers came to my backyard pond a week ago I’ve been checking on them a few times a day. They are still here and the “Hoodie” pond population has been at 13 for a few days.

Another nice surprise was a couple days ago when I went out for my morning check and found a Wood Stork had joined the party on the pond!

Over the years I have seen Wood Storks at other golf course ponds in my neighborhood. This may be only the second time I have spotted one in “my” pond. 

It seemed to find some good eating in shallow water along the far bank (above). 

I have seen these Storks elsewhere in the Lowcountry. Here are a couple links that show other Wood Stork encounters: Magnolia Cemetery and in the ACE Basin. 

The Stork had plenty of feathered company during the visit. In this photo there’s a Great Egret (left) and a White Ibis (Middle) with its trademark long curved orange bill. 

Magnolia Cemetery- No “Hoodies” but Still Plenty to Photograph

Come November at Charleston’s Magnolia Cemetery you can always count on seeing Hooded Mergansers (“Hoodies” for short) wading in one or both of the ponds. 

That was the incentive to visit Sunday afternoon. But, alas, the colorful Hoodie was not to be seen. Maybe they are running late in their southern migration. We’ll have to return in a few weeks to see. Meantime, to see these darling wading birds click on the embedded link above that will take you to a previous post of mine. 

Birding Hot Day Hot Spot (Part 2)

Charleston's historic Magnolia Cemetery is the final resting place for many prominent people throughout the Holy City's history.  Hundreds of Civil War Confederates are also buried there, including a few hundred South Carolinians killed at Gettysburg.  The cemetery's ponds, Cooper River proximity and marshes make it a popular bird habitat. 

This posting is the second part featuring photos I took at Magnolia Cemetery in late July on a blistering hot and humid day.  This is probably my favorite photo from that outing- a Snowy Egret at a pond next to the remains of an old tree.

A pair of White Ibis standing by at Magnolia Cemetery

The distinctive American Anhinga at the top of this tree (note its webbed feet) and just below is an American Bittern.   

This Wood Stork's open beak indicates just how hot a day it was. My car gauge indicated 99 degrees outside while there then climbed to 102 during the drive home.