First full day at the Wildlife Expo

Friday the thirteenth brought good luck for those who attended the Southeastern Wildlife Exposition on Day One because the weather was excellent. Demonstrations with retrievers, birds of prey, fly fishers, and even cast nets were all good activities to get outdoors, and why not remember to bring along your dog. Marion Square Park and Brittlebank Park are dog-friendly venues during SEWE, and owners love to show off their Boykins, Labs and English Setters. The Sporting Village at Brittlebank offers hunts to Africa and other remote areas, alongside hunting trips inside South Carolina. Want to buy some land? The Sporting Village seems to have every type of agent necessary to set up your own private hunting retreat. The Conservation tents at Marion Square Park are free to visitors wanting to learn more about National Wildlife Refuges, canoe trips, and even forestry programs. Marion Square is also home to good food like 82 Queen's creamy grits with barbecue shrimp topped with cheddar cheese and bacon bits, and A.W. Shuck's bacon-wrapped crab-stuffed shrimp over red rice. Quite a large gathering of onlookers assembled at lunchtime at Marion Square and old friends became familiar once again. The photos depict the unusual warm weather on Friday that saw College Of Charleston sunbathers out in full force, two Harris hawks on their perch after a tandem hunt where the birds launched from the top of Embassy Suites and snagged a "rabbit" for gathered fans, DNR's Blaik Pulley, Kattie McMillan and Kim Counts show the shark jaw that they use for educational purposes at SEWE, a Dock Dog competitor appears to clear the Holiday Inn, and Center for Birds of Prey foreman Steven Schabel with a Peregrine falcon.

To view past blog entries from 2009 SEWE click here.