2022 Hunting Island State Park - Turtle Patrol

Probing for Nest # 20 with Master Naturalists 

On Monday May 23 a group of Master Naturalists joined the Friends of Hunting Island Turtle Patrol at dawn to search for new loggerhead turtle nests. Our group recorded two new nests, No. 19 and 20, plus one false crawl. Both nests were high enough into the dunes, and above high tide levels, that they did not to be moved. Turtle Patrol did install wire fencing to defense against digging predators, and they celebrated that nesting activity in 2022 is trending upwards. Turtle Boss Buddy told me that they should know by the end of June if the nesting activity is sustained. 

Volunteer at Nest Site

To view past blog entries from Turtle Patrol click on 2021 Town of Edisto Beach - 2019 Town of Kiawah Island - 2016 Seabrook Island 

To view past blog entries on Sea Turtles click SCDNR Sea Turtle Trawl - TurtleFest at Edisto Beach State Park -  Leatherback Sighting - World Sea Turtle Day - SC Aquarium Sea Turtle Release 

To view past blog entries from Hunting Island click on 2021 Lighthouse / Beach - 2021 Wildlife Sightings - 2017 Reopens after Matthew

To view past blog entries about S.C. State Parks click on  Barnwell - Hickory Knob - Huntington Beach - Hampton Plantation - Edisto Beach 
  

A picturesque location for a turtle nest (left)

Peggy Willenberg and Marci-Anne Leysen,
with Master Naturalist Jeff Dennis

2022 S.C. Mahi Series - Shady Lady Wins

Team Shady Lady wins the 2022 SC Mahi Series

The 2022 S.C. Mahi Series was fished during the month of May using the unique format of fishing teams choosing their days to fish, and needing the heaviest two-fish aggregate weight in order to win. The Awards ceremony on Sunday May 29 at Pioneer Boats in Walterboro drew anglers from Murrell's Inlet, Charleston, Edisto, Beaufort and Hilton Head to enjoy fellowship over a meal and to enjoy live music by Andrew Beam. Patriotic cupcakes  were served up for dessert in honor of Memorial Day.

Lady Angler from 3rd Place Sea Runner

Captain Landon Seigler of Edisto led his team to the First Place payday of $15K in his boat named the Shady Lady. Seigler and his father and crewman Zane Bedenbaugh went fishing on May 5th in a frothy ocean, and encountered multiple weedlines, but in an effort to reach deeper waters they pushed onward into the the deep blue sea. His Father called for a pit stop and they decided to begin fishing and immediately had several knockdowns and boated a teenager dolphin. After Seigler reset all the lines, a huge mahi piled on a bait, and Seigler said it came out of the water and shook its head. A Chinese Fire Drill ensued as Seigler drove the boat while reeling in and clearing two other lines. They had the leader to the rod tip four times but the big mahi never tired, and when they did gaff the mahi it took two men to haul hit aboard. The 61.1-pound mahi caused a celebration at sea, but they continued to fish and boated a second mahi, that gave them the winning aggregate weight of 85.3-pounds. Congrats!

Pioneer Boats are a Sponsor of the HUK Salt Series

Second place went to Foolish Pleasure from Murrell's Inlet. Third place went to Sea Runner from Mt. Pleasant. Fourth Place went to Liquidated Damages from Walterboro. 

To view past blog entries from the S.C. Mahi Series click on 2021 

Tourney Organizer Marc Pincus
and 4th Place Ian Padgett of Walterboro

To view past blog entries from the Edisto Dolphin Slam click 2022 - 2019 - 2018 - 2016 

To view past blog entries on migratory dolphin off S.C. click 2016 - 2015- 2014 - 2013 - 2012 - 2011 - 2010 - 2009 - 2007

2022 Botany Bay WMA - Spring Birding Trip

First Year Male Orchard Oriole

The SCDNR Birding by Trailer Series continues to Roll Strong, and the Saturday May 21 outing took place in cloudy and comfortable weather. Bess Kellett greeted everyone with her clipboard checklist of registered attendees, and she drove the pick up truck that towed the trailer around the driving tour at this property. 

The dove field stop yielded a ground dove sighting, and that was a Life Bird for several visitors to the Lowcountry. Painted buntings, bluebirds and kingbirds were a few of the other birds in this open agricultural field. The next stop by the beach kiosk yielded a First year Male Orchard Oriole which was a first for this lifelong birder. The distinctive black patch on the throat was a clear giveaway of this birds identity, and Bess shared that an Orchard Oriole nest was known to be in that area.

Birding Group working to identify birds

Some nondescript birds were sighted this day including the female red-winged blackbird and the juvenile brown-headed cowbird, and this is when the collective experience in any group is valuable, because getting stumped on a birding identification is frustrating.

To view past blog entries on Birding Trips click on 2022 Nemours / Spring - 2022 Harbor Island / Spring - 2022 Audubon Silver Bluff / Spring - 2022 Phinizy Swamp / Spring - 2022 Oldfield / Spring - 2022 Widgeon Point / Winter Birding - 2022 Parris Island / Winter Birding - 2021 Palmetto Bluff / Christmas Count - 2021 Botany Bay WMA / Winter 

Juvenile Brown-headed Cowbird

Female Red-winged Blackbird

 

2022 Edisto Dolphin Slam - Fortunate Son Wins

Fortunate Son Wins Dolphin Slam

The Edisto Dolphin Slam was good to go in 2022, after a hiatus since 2019 due to Covid, and after a brief wind delay pushing the fishing dates back, from May 7 to May 21 - 22. 

The Edisto Cobia tourney will be fished June 4 and the Edisto Billfish Tourney on July 21 - 23.

First place Dolphin weighed 64.6-pounds caught by Fortunate Son.

Second place Dolphin weighed 21.6-pounds caught by Holy Mackerel

Third place Dolphin weighed 21-pounds caught by Chugger

T-Shirts are for Sale at Ships Store

Lady Angler Award - Avery Price with a 20-pound Dolphin caught by Salt Dust

Youth Angler Award - Michael Blanchard with a 21.6-pound Dolphin

To view past blog entries from the Edisto Dolphin Slam click on 2019 - 2018 - 2016 

Lady Angler

To view past blog entries from the Edisto Cobia Tourney click on 2016

To view past blog entries from Edisto Billfish Tourney click on 2021 -  2019- 2018- 2017- 2016- 2015 - 2014 - 2013 - 2012 - 2011 - 2010 

2022 Nemours Wildlife Foundation - Spring Birding

Black-bellied Whistling Ducks circle the pothole

The birding expedition led by biologist Beau Bauer began at 9 a.m. and started out in an open air wagon towed behind a pickup truck. With droughty conditions in place, this trip around the grounds at Nemours Wildlife Foundation brought a little more uncertainty. But once again the bird species seem to be able to tolerate both dry and wet conditions equally, and the total number of bird species encountered this day was over 50, which is about the normal amount. 

Cormorant on the dock

Our stop at a brackish water impoundment was quick to yield several species of birds right around the dock including cormorant, barn swallow and least tern. A bald eagle was situated in a towering pine and simply overlooking the whole scene of gallinules, wood ducks and wading birds that reside here. Of course other wildlife can be spotted when everyone has optics handy and several alligators were located, plus a grasshopper and dragonfly. 

The final leg of our trip before noon saw the birding friends carpool to a place on the property that was off the beaten path, behind a gate, and filled with water despite the dry conditions. This place proved to be the motherlode of unique species for our day which included the prothonotary warbler and black-bellied whistling ducks. Wood ducks and great blue herons were also in this swamp filled with green duckweed on the water's surface. A brief tailgate gathering finished our day, just long enough to enjoy home-made brownies and chex mix that allowed us a moment to reflect, before getting on with the remainder of a long summer day.

To view past blog entries from Nemours Wildlife Foundation click on

Barn Swallow

2022 Oyster Roast / New Director - 2021 Fall Birding - 25th Anniversary / New Science Lab - 2021 Spring Birding -  2018 Waterfowl Workshop - 2017 Wounded Warrior Deer Hunt - 2014 Red-Cockaded Woodpeckers - 2014 USDA Under Secretary - 2013 Waterfowl Warrior Hunt - 2012 Army Corps of Engineers - 2011 Mottled Duck Study - 2010 Plantation Managers Meeting - 2009 Toyota Donation

To view past blog entries from Friends of Nemours click on 2017- 2014- 2013 - 2012

Our Birding Group on May 17, 2022

2022 Cumberland Island - Wildlife Sightings

Piebald Fawn Bedded Down

To say that we experienced a diversity of flora and fauna at Cumberland Island would be an understatement, as each trail leads one past intact ecosystems full of wonder. A strain of piebald deer is found on Cumberland Island and we were fortunate to find a piebald fawn, bedded down where Mama left it, but hiding in plain sight due to its white coloration. It is natural for does to leaves fawns bedded while they move around to graze, and the fawn was not in distress and never made any movement. Such a rare treat to see, and this encounter speaks to the Wow-factor awaiting you once you set foot on Cumberland Island National Seashore.

To view past blog entries from Cumberland Island click on  Beach Treasures - Dungeness Mansion Ruins - Wild Horses

Gopher Tortoise Cruising By

Giant Fiddler Crab

Beach Lizard

2022 Cumberland Island - Wild Horses

Free Range Foal

Feral Horses are a part of the history of Cumberland Island, and they are still present today. The National Park Service can estimate about 100 horses present today, but in the past a herd of 200 horses and some mules were kept by residents. These horses can be seen grazing at the grounds of the Dungeness Mansion ruins, and at the ferry docks, or any other areas that is mowed and maintained by the Park Service. Of course they also live off the land and consume wild growth, but the maritime forest and sand dunes produce a meager diet. The horses are on their own for water and food, and receive no veterinary care so natural stressors and age are key factors in mortality rates.

Using and Oak Tree for a Neck Scratch

To view past blog entries from Cumberland Island click on Beach Treasures - Dungeness Mansion Ruins - Wildlife Sightings

Not Skinny but Not Fat Either

To view past blog entries about feral horses click on Corolla / OBX 

Grazing at Dungeness Ruins

Family Time