Labor Day Sunday- The Beach (Where Else!)

 

Between playing tennis in the rain for a short time Saturday and today (Labor Day) getting soaked by rain while mowing the lawn, Sunday at Sullivan’s Island had perfect (dry!) weather. 

Parking was more difficult than usual but it was worth it to spend three or so hours soaking in the sun, swimming in the Atlantic Ocean, and enjoying the idyllic scenery. 

And of course, I took a bunch of photographs. Here’s what was going on at Sullivan’s Island in the Station 17 area. 

Snowy Egrets

Elegant and petite, Snowy Egrets are always fun to see.  Their yellow "slippers" make them easy to recognize.  Plus they are much smaller (but just as great!) as the Great Egret. 

It's often possible to get pretty close to this bird.  It's very intense when hunting/fishing and doesn't seem to notice or mind a human slowly getting closer.

The Snowy Egret's dark bill is also distinctive from the Great and Cattle Egrets which have yellow bills.

A pond at Magnolia Cemetery in Charleston offers the fish and frogs the Snowy craves. Snowy's will eat snakes too. I don't see snakes at the cemetery-- at least on land.

Below are a couple of my favorite Snowy Egret photos, taken at Magnolia Cemetery in July 2010.

They are just so photogenic! It's as if they are posing for the camera, holding nice and still with excellent posture too!

Snowy Egrets- just a lovely coastal bird that I feel fortunate to be able to frequently see around the South Carolina Lowcountry.