Two new lifers for me

South Carolina has provided some great birding for me.  Today I added two more to my Life List.

Forster's Tern first winter plumage

Royal Tern (this one looks like it has attitude)



......and now for the rest of the story

Last January, there was a comment left on my blog in response to a post I'd done two years before about paintings by Eric R. Dwyer, in Mel's Fish and Chip restaurant here in Woodstock.  When the comment was left by Mr. Dwyer's granddaughter Bridget, I did another post appealing to her to contact me so that I could learn more about her grandfather's story.



I did hear from Bridget, and now my husband Geoff, who is a writer, has written a piece about Bridget's grandfather for our local What's on Woodstock magazine.



Bridget sent some old newspaper photos of her grandfather and, as it wasn't possible for everything to be included in Geoff's article, I'm sharing them here.   You can view Geoff's story in pdf format by clicking here - it's on pages 10 and 11.

If you would like to read all of my posts about this quest, click here.  I like it when a mystery is solved.

Murrells Inlet birds

Marilyn and Paul took me to Murrells Inlet today to check out the boardwalk and the bird population.

We weren't disappointed. 

Brown Pelican (lifer)

Common Loon in winter plumage

Black-crowned Night Heron (lifer)

Juvenille Grackles

A LOT of Pelicans (I apologize for the poor quality - they were out on an island)

Double-crested Cormorant, immature

another Pelican - I couldn't resist.  Who could?

My gracious hosts and fellow bird nerds, Paul and Marilyn

Pelicans at sunrise

Sunset from the dock at Hannah Banana's Sunshine Cabana

.........and to round this out, Pelicans skimming the waves

Wind surfing

Bonaparte's Gulls in winter plumage and one lone (top, left) Common Tern in winter plumage.

Many thanks to Mike of 10,000 birds for the identification!

TGIF

This is what Friday morning is looking like in Surfside, SC................

Morning to night

I'm visiting my good friends Marilyn and Paul in Surfside, South Carolina and it's heavenly here. 

The view from their balcony is amazing.  First thing this morning this woman was enjoying the sound of the waves while she walked her dog.

We went to the Prince Creek Diner for breakfast and then spent the day at Brookgreene Gardens - a wonderful combination of trees, flowers, sculptures, critters (a zoo) and birds, birds, birds.

mini white Narcissus

yellow narcissus

Carolina Wren

 Titmouse (lifer) and female Northern Cardinal.

Black-crowned Night Heron in the aviary.

Grey Fox

Northern Mockingbird singing in one of the sculpture gardens.

Diana the Huntress

We finished the day back at the condo with this sunset.