Savannah National Wildlife Refuge – You Just Never Know!
How many times can I say how amazing the Savannah National Wildife refuge is all year long? Today was a cold, blustery day (at least cold for the Lowcountry), and the wind was cranking. Not anticipating much action, I thought I’d still check it out just to see what’s going on. Not even 100 yards into the refuge, [...]
Hummers in the Summer
I think it’s safe to say that I get pretty excited and enthusiastic about nature and birds are one of my favorite things to watch, study, and photograph. Of the birds, I think most people who birdwatch or feed birds would agree that the diminutive little hummingbirds are amazing, to say the least! Here in [...]
Tour of Italy, Pt. 1 – Montepulciano and Montalcino
My wife and I had the opportunity of a lifetime to spend a couple of weeks in Italy. Now I know that this is the Nature Nook, but the scenery and photo opportunities were amazing, so I decided to take a little break from the nature side of things and invest a little time with [...]
Wood Storks – Be on the Lookout for Lowcountry Flintheads!
Many years ago, wood storks were a pretty rare occurrence here in South Carolina, so much so that they weren’t even listed on many birding checklists! Well, now, that situation has changed and hundreds of wood storks have been pushed up from Florida to nest in Georgia and South Carolina. Even though they are endangered, they [...]
Burrowing Owls – Hanging Out in the Hood
The Florida Burrowing Owl (Athene cunicucularia floridana) is a very adaptive little critter. Formerly a bird found in the open expanses of the Florida/Kissimmee Prairies, this little bird was faced with a quickly shrinking habitat due to overdevelopment in Florida (there’s a shock) from expanding cattle ranches, citrus farming, development, and urbanization. At a time [...]
A Little Flash of Color for the Summer
When the heat of the summer sets in, sometimes it’s pretty easy to set the ‘ol 500 and 7D down and proclaim it’s too hot to photograph. That’s pretty easy to do, especially when it’s so hot, your camera will burn your face when you lean into it to take a photo or when heat [...]
Lowcountry River Otters – Under Surveillance…
As I was walking around the trails and ponds at Oldfield Club, where I work, I discovered some new signs that indicated that an otter may be frequenting a particular area. These signs include well worn paths, feces, and scent mounds, which are piles of vegetation with a mixture of feces and an oil-like musk [...]
Double-crested Cormorants – Fish Eatin’ Machines
You know, I used to raise catfish, bream, bass, tilapia, grass carp, and other fish when I worked as a fisheries biologist/aquaculturist for a fish hatchery over 20 years ago. At that time, I never realized just how many fish a double-crested cormorant could eat or how a flock of cormorants can mean disaster for [...]
Adventures in Italy – Rome and Tivoli
Our first visit to Italy, and especially Rome will mark my first time of any significance overseas and all I can say is I am in awe and in sensory overload! It is such a diverse country and we are now going from the countryside of Tuscany to Rome. Now, not being a “big [...]
2013 Fox Dens – Active Again…
We all have those moments where we see something and it is so intriguing, that everything else just seems to fade away. For me, I look forward to this time every year in anticipation of seeing our red foxes raise their kits. After many weeks of searching, checking, and looking for any sign, I finally [...]