Category: News

Bottlenose Dolphin Strand Feeding

This phenomenon occurs most frequently in the fall when the mullet are plentiful in the Kiawah River, and within two hours of low tide either way. It is a practice that has become fairly well known among the locals, and is exciting, fascinating and awe-inspiring to watch. To quote from Kiawah.com’s webpage:

“During low tide, the dolphins will herd a school fish, gradually pushing them closer and closer to the shore of the Kiawah River. As they chase the fish up the bank, they create a wave that then throws them out of the water. The dolphins then push themselves up onto the sand and eat as many fish as they can before sliding back into the water. 

Keep in mind that not all Kiawah Island dolphins know how to strand, however. It seems that this behavior is passed from mother to calf. For reasons unknown to scientists, adult dolphins are not able to learn the feeding technique once they reach a certain age. Because of this, a little less than half of the Island’s dolphin population can perform strand feeding.”

Here are a few pictures of these amazing mammals in action.

The St. Helena Sound, SC

In the heart of the Ace Basin, where the Ashepoo, Combahee, and Edisto Rivers empty into the ocean is where you will find the St. Helena Sound. This is classic low country shoreline, where migrating shore birds gather on fragile sandbars, and where the shrimp trawlers ply the waters, attended by expectant gulls, pelicans, and dolphin. These images were taken yesterday morning as we set off from a Harbor River landing before dawn.

The First Day of Fall

The temperature was no indication that anything was different this morning, no obvious sign that the Northern Hemisphere had quietly drifted into the fall season, but there was fog, the first fog of the season. There’s something mysterious and beautiful about the way fog rises and dips among the trees and across the marshes and creeks. Although not strikingly obvious in these photos, the fog softened the landscape and the distant views of marsh and trees.

Downtown Brevard

“It’s got everything you need, and nothing that you don’t”, words borrowed from the Zac Brown Band but totally applicable to this charming mountain town. The people are relaxed and friendly. One of my new Brevard friends told me that if someone honks their horn at you, you know they’re from somewhere else, because the folks just don’t do that here. Great restaurants, coffee shops, shopping, festivals, exhibitions, entertainment; there is always something going on in Brevard. Here are some cameos of my favorite downtown stores. The photo of the trio jamming was taken inside a local bakery – folks just gathering to enjoy music together and the locals going about their business, drinking coffee, working on laptops, and stuffing a couple Dollar bills in the tip jar.

Country Brevard

This town offers the best of both worlds, both country and downtown experiences. The farmland surrounding the town center is quintessential charming, the stuff of childrens’ storybooks. Lush valleys currently supporting fields of corn and cattle, surrounded by blue mountains. I have photographed these areas through different seasons. This is the Summer look.

Old Time Mountain Music Jam

A friend and I are spending a week in Brevard, discovering life as a local here. It’s the best little town, just big enough to offer everything you need, yet small enough that the traffic is manageable and parking spaces can be found downtown, with no meters! Not that we park downtown much because we walk everywhere, for groceries, coffee, dinner, general shopping. We walked to a local church on Sunday. Monday nights at the Oskar Blues Brewery are a treat. Local musicians of all skill levels show up with their instruments and jam together for their enjoyment and free beer. A great time is had by all; kids, dogs, the old and young. Definitely a highlight of my stay here.

The Country Life

I live in the city, an increasingly busy city, but my heart has always been for the country and wide open spaces. This last week or so, I have enjoyed a slightly higher elevation, less humidity, and cooler temperatures in the town of Hillsborough, North Carolina. Keeping me company were my two kids, their spouses, and six grandkids! What fun for these city kids to feed chickens and pigs and collect eggs mornings and evenings. We also found and killed two snakes that were stealing the eggs. Tomorrow I move on to Brevard, my favorite mountain town, but here are some pics from this past week.