I recently had the opportunity to return to the Georgia coast . It's been about five years ,and I sure did miss it . Having previously spent quite a few years in south Florida between the coat and the Everglades I have a deep appreciation for both environments . The Georgia coast and marshes have absolutely the best of the two .
Harris Neck National Wildlife Refuge is one refuge accessible by car . Most of the others here require a short ferry ride that I just didn't have time for on this trip . As soon as I got out of the car , I saw this little four footer on the dike . Local welcome committee I guess .
Plethora and cornucopia besides being fun to say , are the best words I can think of to describe the diversity of wildlife to be found in this Georgia gem . Even saw some young coots instead of the usual old coots . ( last pic for you young coots )
More gators . Since the rangers seemed to be occupied else where , I figured I could get a few closeups without getting reprimanded .
This is one of my favorites , a green heron . Pretty dang hard to get a pic of too in my opinion .
These guys didn't seem to appreciate me disturbing their fishing in the half drained rice fields .
The Spanish moss and flowers were spectacular .
Just a few steps through the trees brings you right to the edge of the South Newport river .
I searched and googled for the name of a group of fiddler crabs . Nothing , nada . So I searched for a group of fiddlers . Nothing , nada . Unless you want to be rude , then it's hillbillies . On to a group of crabs . Better , but not much . Seems there is a little confusion . Some say a consortium . Some say a cast . Some say a dose . I don't get the last one one . Do you ?
( Rant warning )
Harris Neck was taken over and turned into an airforce base by the US government in WW II . After the war it was abandoned and then turned into a refuge . Since that time there has been an ongoing battle by the heirs of the original settlers/owners to have it returned to the displaced families . Considering the current push to have Federal lands returned to the states to save ,develop , exploit or sell as the states see fit , I would rather see it go back to the heirs rather than to some political hacks favorite developer at a cut rate price . ( rant over )
The remains of one of the ancestral homes .
On the way back to 17/99 there were a couple of places in the marsh that caught my eye . Looked like a good place to drop a crab trap , drink a beer or two , and relax . I am not sure if the windsock was in case some one was silly enough to try to land a plane or just to show if there was enough wind to blow away some of the gnats .
I'm not sure but I think these are olive trees . I saw an episode recently on GPB about the growing olive and olive oil industry in Georgia . Evidently we are gaining an excellent reputation for our olive oil .
The runways have pretty much been abandoned other than the perimeter road . The flat topography and remaining tarmac make this an exceptional place to bring your bicycles especially for the kiddos . Walking is an absolute breeze even for us fat boys . This time of year , early April , was relatively gnat free , but I still recommend bring bug spray . Since I came during the week I had the place to myself other than one or two other folks .
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