Baltimore Orioles

It was a treat in March to see and  photograph my first Baltimore Orioles!  My friend and neighbor Richard Hayes has been attracting them to his backyard feeders with grape jelly.

In the above photo, an adult male (right) is in full-glory Oriole orange body and black head and wing tips.That's a juvenile male next to him.  Wild Birds Unlimited is where Richard got the small cone-shaped jelly dispensers.  He's been doing this for a few years and says the Orioles show up in November and stay for the winter as late as April.

Above is a female Oriole.  Quite a difference right? The female resembles other yellow-golden birds such as the Pine Warbler and American Golfinch. The long, straight beak is one lady Oriole distinction from those others.

With the male Oriole, there's no such uncertainty what he is!

Richard's jelly also attracts Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers!  This is a bird I've seen before in my own yard, usually pecking away on a tree.  This is the closest I've ever seen and photographed this type of woodpecker.

The Sapsuckers red throat helps distinguish it from other regional woodpeckers.

Richard kept the jelly cone filled to the brim for his many feathered friends, such as this female Oriole. The juvenile Oriole had to think life is good!

One last look at the male Oriole.  My neighbor let me come over three different weekend mornings when the birds are hungry for their jelly breakfast. 

Next fall I'm going to get my own special jelly dispenser!  Maybe I'll get some Orioles in my own backyard.

Savannah National Wildlife Refuge

Our quick holiday trip to Savannah ended with a first time visit to the Savannah National Wildlife Refuge. American Coots (above) were plentiful on that cold January afternoon.

The Savannah NWR, dating  to 1927, consists of over 29,000 acres of freshwater marshes, tidal rivers and creeks and bottomland hardwoods (from the site's official website).

The vast acreage includes indications of the old rice cultivation system from past centuries with many wooden trunks used to control water flow into and out of  the numerous impoundments. Informative signage provides visitors with an educational experience.

I only had a quick glimpse of the female Buffleheads (below), a duck I had never photographed before.  They remind me of the Hooded Mergansers I see during the winter at Charleston's Magnolia Cemetery.

Blue-winged Teals (below) also traveled South for the winter.

The male Blue-winged Teal has the distinctive white marking on his face.

White Ibis were around in numbers. There's no mistaking this one-of-a-kind wading bird.

The Savannah Refuge, while close to a major highway, extends far enough away from the road to ensure the quiet of nature.

The dark Glossy Ibis mingled with White Ibis in this spot.

This was my first Glossy Ibis sighting- always exciting to "discover" new birds! It was hard to get good close shots amid the sea grass.

I came across a lone Great Blue Heron towards the end of our tour.  Such a striking bird, no matter where I encounter them.

I walked behind the Great Blue in hopes of getting a shot like this with its wings extended.

A Red-shouldered Hawk on alert for a meal below.

I didn't see too many smaller birds on this outing, other than this Northern Mockingbird, which didn't seem to mind posing a few minutes for me.

The Mockingbird seems to be a flexible, adaptable bird, from backyards to vast nature preserves.

By far the American Coots were the most frequent fowl at the Savannah site during this winter visit.

I would definitely like to come back to this refuge and am glad it's close enough for a spring or summer day trip. Here's a link to this national refuge's website: http://www.fws.gov/savannah/

Magnolia Plantation and Gardens' Audubon Swamp Garden

It's always exciting for me to see and photograph new birds and ducks. And that was the case earlier in January when I encountered many Green-Winged Teal at Magnolia Plantation's Audubon Swamp.

The male is quite a striking fellow with his green and crimson head.

The female Green-winged Teal (below) doesn't have the flamboyant head but does have a lovely wing pattern.

According to one of my favorite online bird resources WhatBird.com, this duck is native to northern Alaska, Canada, California, Colorado, Nebraska, and New York. They winter in the South and annually find their way to the ponds of Magnolia Gardens, as the signs there indicate.
On this visit to the Audubon Swamp, it was also neat seeing another type of Teal- the Blue-winged Teal. Two males and a female are pictured below.

Also native to Northern locales, the male Blue-winged Teal has that distinctive white band down its face. I have seen these before in ponds at the old Kings Grant golf course in Summerville and more recently at the Savannah National Wildlife Refuge (look for an upcoming posting on that outing).
 In the shot below you see Green and Blue-winged Teals mixed together.

Below, a pair of male Blue-winged Teals. I read on another Internet site that Blue-Winged Teals are generally the first ducks south in the fall and last north in the spring.

The Audubon Swamp waters were, in fact, full of winter ducks on this day!  Even better, though it was winter, the temperature was very pleasant in the 60s and the skies were a lot clearer than the water!

                       Another colorful duck in the crowd I spotted was the American Wigeon.

This wintering wild fowl can be mistaken (at least by me anyway) for the Green-winged Teal but upon closer inspection the green of the Wigeon is a different pattern on the head and its beak is mostly white unlike the Teal's dark one.

The American Wigeon was formerly known as "Baldplate" because the white stripe on its crown resembles a bald man's head (WhatBird.com). If I was this duck, I'd like the name Wigeon better too!

Here's a male and female Baldplate, err, American Wigeon.

The cute little Pied-billed Grebe was also present in the busy Audubon Swamp at Magnolia Gardens.

The Pied-billed Grebe is not classified as a duck because it doesn't have webbed feet. The bird has incredible range, being found throughout North and South America. Despite its sweet face it has a number of ferocious folk names such as devil-diver, hell-diver, and water witch.

My visit to Magnolia Plantation and Gardens also included bird sightings in the trees, such as a pair of Turkey Vultures.

The Turkey Vulture's red face makes it distinct from its close relative, the Black Vulture. But someone does need to see the dermatologist about that white yukky stuff around the eyes!

Look what else I spotted high up a tree!  A Raccoon. See its face in the left side of the photo.

I know you're trying to hide from me Raccoon, but I see you up there!

Notice too that long crevice in the tree that looks to be filled with one or more little coons. Look at the bottom part of this photo below the mother's tail.

One of the smaller birds I photographed was the Yellow-rumped Warbler.

I made sure to get a picture of the Yellow-rumped's yellow rump.

Eastern Kingbirds were also hanging around the swamp.

I have photgraphed the Kingbird in other area locations and have been struck by how this bird, unlike most other small birds, will stay still even around people, allowing for good photographs to be taken.  Well, it is king after all!

Really good winter birding here at the Audubon Swamp at Magnolia Plantations and Gardens. In the spring, you can see nesting Great Blue Herons, Great Egrets and other large coastal birds in the sanctuary's rookery.

A very relaxing, rewarding outing here for a modest admission fee.  I'll be back!

And, oh yeah, you can pay the full entrance fee and also tour the vast, beautiful and historic Magnolia Plantation and Gardens.