Strangers in a Strange Land
So there is more to holidays than food. We also had hikes to take, birds to watch, shells to collect.
As I mentioned before, we had rented a house on Edisto Island, near the town of Edisto Beach. The back of the house faced on to a tidal creek and salt marsh.
In the front, we had a vista of palmettos and dwarf palmettos, a dirt road, more salt marsh, the beach, and the Atlantic ocean.
It was a very unfamiliar landscape, and waterscape (though spellcheck indicates this is not a word), for us Midwesterners. We had heard that this was a great area for bird watching, and we were not disappointed, though our time for bird photography was rather limited due to Short Ones restlessness. (I should explain here that the title Short Ones is ironic. Short One the Elder is about 6′ 1″, Short One the Younger is 6′ 3″. I am 5′ 11″. So we spend a good deal of time accusing each other of being short. One of our favorite songs is Randy Newman’s Short People.)
We were especially interested in all the aquatic birds that we had never seen before. We saw plenty of Great Egrets, just as Les at A Tidewater Gardener had assured us that we would.
We also saw Great Blue Herons.
It was fun watching the Brown Pelicans diving for fish.
Then there were the Sanderlings, little shorebirds that were very comical to watch. Over and over, they would chase the surf as it receded, then run away as it flowed back again, each time with a kind of manic energy, as if in a panic. There were many ibis, with their odd curved beaks, but we couldn’t get a good picture.
We were most excited to see a Kingfisher, a handsome fellow that we had not expected to come across. Sadly, we did not get a picture, so I’m cheating by borrowing one from Birdingisfun.com.
Photo: Birdingisfun.com
In addition to the marshes and the beach, a great place to look for birds was the live oak behind our house, a very popular tree for winged creatures. We saw Northern Cardinals, many woodpeckers, and other birds I couldn’t identify.
We also went hiking at Edisto Beach State Park, which includes forests of live oak dripping with spanish moss. These don’t look like any woods back home.
Of course, we spent lots of time at the beach, though it was colder than normal and not exactly beach weather. Sadly, houses have been built all along the edge of the beach in town, which bodes ill for the future of both the beach and the houses. We spent most of our time walking at the beach closer to our rented house, which was about a mile away. There were no houses or other man-made structures, and often we were the only ones there.
This area is one of the best in the world for collecting sea shells, and we especially liked the whelks and sand dollars. A couple of times Judy and Short One the Elder picked up whelk shells that were still inhabited, and these quickly though briefly became flying whelks.
Photo: Savebay.org
In addition to all of the above, we had a good deal of time for sitting on the dock and watching the sunset. Next post: Savannah and Charleston.
gardeninacity 
These pictures are a feast for the senses!
So glad you liked them!
I love this post! Now I have a serious case of holiday envy! In my other spare time I am a bit of a bird watcher and when I first saw your kingfisher I was like NOOOO WAAAAAY, then I saw that you had borrowed the photo – which is cool and I am still totally impressed you saw one. We don’t have the black & white fellas over here. Closest we got to those was in India and I *think* (like to think) I saw one. Your vacation sounds and looks fab. Looking forward to the next installment 🙂
p.s. the short ones don’t look that short 😉
You must have seen a lot of amazing birds in India.
That last shot is a dream, and your pictures made me nostalgic for the three “vacation” I spent on an island south of Charleston and north of Edisto.
It’s a beautiful part of the country. I’d go much more often if we weren’t so far.
Sounds like a dream Christmas! I think walking on the beach and birdwatching is heavenly! That sunset is gorgeous!
It was a great trip. Glad you like the sunset.
Looks like a wonderful place. What a great way to spend a holiday.
We have been thinking about when we could get back there.
Bird watching is a fabulous pastime and this looks a wonderful place to just get away from it all.
I imagine the bird watching is even better during the migration periods.
I love your shots all of them. I noticed that the kingfisher’s color is so dull compared to what we have here, although the shape is the same.
Further, i think you explained the term ‘short people’ because i really thought what you mean are kids shorter than you and your wife! Now i know.
I could get taller again if I bought some really big elevator shoes. Maybe you should post something about the kingfishers in your area.
Hi, I see you had nice holidaya despite the cool weather. I love you photo of sunset, I feel as I was sitting on the dock too:)). The shells are pretty, will you make something with them?
We left most of them behind, the ones we took were the larger whelks which we’ll put on the mantel and on our desks.
This makes me so miss the water…….Jen
You still have the mountains, that’s a big plus.
Spectacular photos, looks like you had a wonderful holiday! Loved the shot of the oaks and the moss in Edisto Beach State Park, that’s definitely not something we see around here, either! 🙂
The oaks and moss really define the look of the region.
Ah I felt like I just took a little vacation while reading this post. Some of my youth was spent on Carolina beaches and it’s nice to know they still exist in an unspoiled nature. Surprisingly, a coast away, Great Blue Herons and Kingfishers are at home too, in the Pacific Northwest (and numerous), though always a treat to see them. Sounds like your vacation was well spent. Can’t wait to read about your impression of Charleston, one of my favorite cities in the U.S.
Edisto Beach is supposed to be one of the few less developed parts of the South Carolina coast that remain. There are few hotels, but lots of vacation homes.
You really saw a lot of different birds! I like to vacation where the landscape is different than what I usually see. So much in this world to experience. I appreciate you sharing your photos. This is a type of beach that I have not been to before.
The same for me. I have a long list of places I dream of visiting and will never get to half of them. And if I go back to a place I love it means there’s one less new place that I’ll see!
So many birds to see, sounds like a divine vacation to me. Although I don’t spend much time bird watching these days it used to be one of my favourite past times. You reminded me of a time when I was much younger, picking shells on the beach I put one in my pocket. later on, pulling it out it looked like there was some dirt inside. Turns out it was a hermit crab. Scared the living daylights out of me, probably no better for him either.
But I bet you could laugh about it afterwards, though the hermit crab probably couldn’t.
Perfection…sun, sand, birds and that oak….oh and the sunset….wow!!
It was a great trip, though not as warm as we had hoped, usually in the 50s during the day.
How tranquil. Such photos! No mosquitoes this time of year, I hope.