Parris Island- The Core of the Corps

We Make Marines.

The mission of the U.S. Marine Corps Recruit Depot on Parris Island, S.C. can be concisely summed up in three words seen prominently on this sign over a main road and on a water tower in a central part of the base.

My Recent Video Interview

At South Carolina State University, where I am a Communications Program faculty member, I was recently interviewed by one of my broadcasting students Mariah Reed. I call the assignment the Q&A Interview.

 There are certain basic TV news videography techniques to be used in this piece. Mariah did a nice job, though there are a few jump cuts. Thank you Mariah for selecting me for your interview person!

Bear Island Bicycle Bliss!

A recent visit to wonderful Bear Island in the ACE Basin south of Charleston allowed for much more ground to be covered than past visits.  Why?  Bicycles!

Alesia and I threw (not literally!) our bikes in the back of the SUV on a pretty Sunday morning (May 7) and made the hour drive to the wild wilderness of this 12,000 acre sanctuary, which is managed by the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources.

In 2012 I made a video about Bear Island. It's on my YouTube channel. Click here to check it out.  I also have it embedded at the end of this post.

GoPro Video: Tennis Backboard Hit!

Here's something different for my blog!  I try to think of new ways to use my GoPro video camera. So here's my latest endeavor: hitting against the tennis backboard at my neighborhood courts. This was shot in April 2017.

This is a video I shot two years ago with my friend Bob Lang. We alternated wearing the GoPro on our heads.

Bird and Nature Talk Flyer

This is a flyer I recently produced to promote my bird and nature photography talks.  I can speak on this topic as it connects with my new book, "Nature-ly Fun! Bird Photography From A to Z."  I also give presentations on my Magnolia Cemetery history book.  Book signings can also be a part of these events.

For more information, please contact me at 843.224.3112 or birdseyeviewspublications@gmail.com.

Blogs Hits 100,000 Page Views!

On Saturday, I noticed that this blog, BirdsEyeViews, has reached the milestone of 100,000 page views.

I have been keeping my eye on this number, located on the left side of my blog, as the count got into the 90,000s.

The blog was started in 2010. To date I have written 120 posts featuring my photography, especially of birds and the travel experiences I have enjoyed over the years.

I also use the site to document and promote my books, which total three so far- more to come hopefully!

Another statistic I checked occasionally is Pageviews by Countries. 

It's neat to see this listing my countries. 

Shows to me how people worldwide appreciate photos of Mother Nature and especially her many beautiful birds! 

Thanks to Google and Blogger for this wonderful product which has given so many people an outlet and a voice!  

Here's a link to my very first blog post on May 26, 2010, which is appropriately titled, "Time to Blog!"  

Old Ford T-Bird Needs Help!

The Charleston Post and Courier has weekly photography contests. Winning photos, as picked by the newspaper's veteran professional photojournalists, run in Sunday's paper. That day, the topic for the week's contest is announced.

Seeing "Forgotten Objects" as the subject, my mind quickly went to the old Ford Thunderbird I see in Orangeburg on my way to South Carolina State University where I teach communications courses.

Lo and behold! My T-Bird photo was selected by the editors as one of the two winning reader-submitted photos featured in the paper on Sunday, April 9.

This is the third time my photos have been selected for the newspaper's photography contest!

I think it would be great if someone made a project of restoring this classic old car.

It has me thinking about those guys in Las Vegas on the "Counting Cars" show and also Mike and Frank on "American Pickers."

Sunday's paper announced this week's contest topic: Steeples.

I am submitting this photos that I recently took from The Watch Rooftop Kitchen and Spirits, which is part of The Restoration hotel in Charleston on Wentworth Street near King Street.

There are many great views of the city from up there.

The three church steeples seen are, from right, St. John's Lutheran Church, Unitarian Church in Charleston and the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist Catholic Church.

Wish me luck!

Bevy of Backyard Birds and Other Recent Captures

Now that winter has passed, I'm starting to see more bird activity in my backyard and pond. Plus, a recent weekend in Hilton Head produced a nice bird photography opportunity. And I have a few photos to share from Magnolia Cemetery, which include an Anhinga with a fresh fish catch.

So this post is kind of a nest for my recent birding activities.

The American Goldfinches have been coming around recently. They are still in the molting stage, well on their way to the beautiful solid yellow sheen for which this striking bird is known.

Old Charleston Church an Exciting New Find!

Charleston is known as the Holy City for good reason. Look at the skyline and several tall church steeples can be seen.

From its 17th century inception, Charleston has been very religiously tolerant. Only a small number of people were needed to form a church.  Today, the city benefits from this benevolence with a treasure trove of churches of many faiths.

I maintain a separate blog for my College of Charleston First Year Experience course, "Beyond the Grave: What Old Cemeteries Tell and Teach the Living." I want to share two recent posts from my Charleston Beyond the Grave blog that deal with Charleston's religious richness.

St. Mary's is on Huger Street near King Street

This past Sunday Alesia and I attended Mass at St. Mary's Catholic Church in the Holy City. Gorgeous inside, St. Mary's also has a lovely, historic and interesting graveyard that wraps around the building.

Here's my post from this enlightening experience!






Another treasure trove, this one of historic information, is Ruth Miller who has spoken twice now to my "Beyond the Grave" class. She is a longtime Charleston historian and tour guide. In this post I wrote, learn (as I did) of Charleston's many religious firsts and distinctions.

Ruth Miller and yours truly after her fall semester talk (photo by Megan Wright) 

Preaching to the Choir at Charleston's Audubon Society

I knew there would be kindred spirits when I spoke to Charleston's Audubon and Natural History Society on March 8.

There was an impressive turnout for my talk, which take place in an auditorium in Duckett Hall on the campus of The Citadel.  Many thanks to Paul Nolan who coordinated my visit and did a lot of advance publicity work.

Alesia took this photo at my March 8 Audubon Society presentation

The presentation centered on my passion for nature and birds- and particularly my nature and bird photography.  I collected my thoughts, fondness, tips and tactics about this hobby in my new book, "Nature-ly Fun: Bird Photography From A to Z".

My book signing before and after the talk went very well too. Audubon is an organization Alesia and I are talking about joining. I touted the many things I've learned being a member of the Carolinas' Nature Photographers Association (CNPA) and can see the benefits of also being part of the local Audubon group.

Explaining the "A to Z" concept of my new bird/nature photography book

Thanks again for the hospitality and attentiveness Audubon Society members!