Glyn and I spent the Valentine weekend at Murrell's Inlet, SC, one of our favorite getaway spots for relaxation, good seafood, and good birding at Huntington Beach State Park. I had never visited the park in mid-winter, but wanted to try to see a few birds who visit the ocean jetties located here , and represents these birds southern limit in the winter. This includes the Black Guillemot and the Razorbills, both of which are Arctic breeders. Those of you who live along the eastern coast know that we had just experienced an unusual prolonged winter storm with snow and ice for several days. We were scheduled to leave on Thursday, but delayed until Friday because of road conditions. On friday morning, the roads had cleared and we headed south. We found that the area of Myrtle Beach south to Georgetown had been hit with a one inch ice storm causing major tree damage and power loss for many. The park had major tree damage, even to some of the old big oaks that are so beautiful, and emergency crews were cleaning up. We had lunch at a favorite spot in Murrell's Inlet, The Wicked Tuna( try their lettuce wraps or their beet salad), and then headed to the Park to do my beach walk to the jetties which are located at the southern tip of the Park beach. It is a 1.3 mile walk each way, but was well worth the effort. NO, I did not see any razorbills or Black Guillemots, but I did see and photograph several birds that I do not see in my home area, plus some nice shots of some of my favorites. Included in the jetty pics I did get are a White Winged Scoter, Long-Tailed Ducks, Horned Grebe, Common Eider, and Common Loon. The following day I spent several hours at the marsh flats getting some nice shore bird pics, including some neat shots of a Snowy Egret preening for the ladies-- Spring is springing!! For dinner that night, we went to our most favorite seafood restaurant in Murrell's Inlet, Lee's Inlet Kitchen, which serves up great classical fried, broiled, or boiled seafood!!
I have included in the Gallery below a couple of another photographer's pics of the Razorbill and the Guillemot taken at the jetties---some day, I will catch them at home and get my own!! I hope you enjoy the pics!!
I have included in the Gallery below a couple of another photographer's pics of the Razorbill and the Guillemot taken at the jetties---some day, I will catch them at home and get my own!! I hope you enjoy the pics!!
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