Harris Neck NWR day 2

Howdee all,

Another cold morning in Georgia…I put on my down coat and went for a morning walkA mist of cold above the water…Here we sit…our windows face the lakeThe car was frosty..The Eucalyptus tree …reminds me this is a warm weather area..

Jeff and I left the RV park after it warmed up..and on the way in a side ditch..note the beer bottle in the water….was a beautiful BirdAmerican Bittern

On the way to the park we noticed this Clever sign…hee hee

Harris Neck National Wildlife Refuge

Harris Neck NWR was established in 1962 by transfer of federal lands formerly managed by the Federal Aviation Administration as a WWII Army airfield. Located in McIntosh County, Georgia, the refuge serves as an important link in the chain of refuges along the Atlantic seaboard, and is the inland base for two neighboring barrier island refuges, Blackbeard Island and Wolf Island refuges, both located southeast of Harris Neck.

Harris Neck's 2,762 acres consists of saltwater marsh, grassland, mixed deciduous woods, and cropland. Because of this great variety in habitat, many different species of birds are attracted to the refuge throughout the year. In the summer, thousands of egrets and herons nest in the swamps, while in the winter, large concentrations of ducks (especially mallards, gadwall and teal) gather in the marshland and freshwater pools.

We scanned the river for birds..

Only a few Egrets...in the grasses Palm Warblers

OH NO!This tree was yelling something…Do you think there is a bird in its mouth?I don’t know why it was yelling…maybe I just startled it…Or MAYBe it was surprised how chilly it was for a January day in Georgia.Second stop…. the birdie Bluebill PondLots of Cooties…I loved the green muck in the water…Isn't it beautiful?

We saw at least eight Snipe…More coots..we did see many other ducks here…List at the end of this post..The Coots were the only birds that got close enough…For my point and shoot camera to photographIts times like these I wish I had a big lens DSLR

Instead I will be happy with what I can capture with my point and shoot…Ohh..lookie here..Red-shouldered Hawk..And another coot…Two more Coot..We left the pond and drove a bit further checking out the water areas along the road..We parked the car and took another walking path to a few small ponds..A Possum crosses the road…Small ponds..hard to see the birds..mostly Coot..and too far away for photos…So I take a few shots of cat tail..I really liked the fuzzy seed heads…We walked further….And one of those Walking helmets cross the road.A great day….

Jeff and I are now in Sunny Florida..well not too sunny today..its overcast, breezy and beautifully warm..73 degrees. Tomorrow is the start of the Space Coast Bird and Wildlife festival…We have a 4:30 am start to the day..Early to bed for me tonight!

 

Birds of the Day

American Bittern

Palm Warbler
Tufted Titmouse
Mourning Dove
Common yellowthroat
Yellow rump warbler
Northern cardinal
Great egret
Snowy egret
Turkey vulture
Red bellied woodpecker
Hermit thrush
Ruby crowned kinglet
Gadwall
Green winged teal
Coot
Wilsons snipe
Killdeer
Ring necked duck
Common merganser my bad..meant to put Bufflehead thanks Scott for the heads up
Hooded merganser
Pied billed grebe
Lesser yellowlegs
Eastern Phoebe
Blue wing teal
American pipet
Swamp sparrow
Song sparrow
Red winged blackbird
Carolina chickadee
American goldfinch
Downy woodpecker
White ibis
Red shouldered hawk
Eastern towhee
Pileated woodpecker
Eastern bluebird
Savannah sparrow
Northern harrier
Pine warbler
House wren
Wood stork

Common Moorhen..thanks Hap. I forgot to add