Please excuse any errors. I'm typing this on a phone. I'll pretty it up when I get home. :)
We had a wonderful time staying with my cousin Jackie and her boyfriend Lem. Seeing theisland through the eyes of a "local" is wonderful. Jackie took us to so many wonderful sites. First, we went to Botany Bay, a 3363 acre nature preserve. We got to see the beautiful trees growing right in the water (probably high tide). We got to see the remains of the early 1800's corroono plantation, and an amazing variety of wildlife. The pelicans did a beautiful line dance in the sky in front of us. As we left the park, we saw an adorable fawn with all of its spots. We placed a quick call to our local wildlife rescue expert (Lem) to make sure no help was needed for the baby, since no Mama was around, but he told us it was probably just fine.Then, we made our way over to a dock to watch Atlantic Bottlenose Dolphins strand feed. Apparently, the dolphins in Georgia and South Carolina are unique in this feeding ritual (although there are a few countries where they occasionally do this). This is a group effort by the pod to herd a school of fish or shrimp onto the shore. They slide their bodies, purplish pink bellies to the sky, and capture their prey on the bank of the inlet or river. Then, they gobble it up and wiggle their way back to the water. It was beautiful! My favorite part of the day.
We spent a little more time on the beach while a storm kicked up. We got out before the sky completely darkened and the first raindrops fell. We made our way back to Jackie and Lem's where they treated us to a gourmet meal of fresh shrimp, grilled venison and chicken, caesar salad and corn on the cob, topped by key lime pie for dessert. Perfect meal for a perfect day!!
How fascinating to see dolphins hunt cooperatively like that. I wonder how many other species do that...orcas? Wolves and hyenas. Humans. Darkly wonderful!
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