Savannah NWR ramble

   

   Just outside of Savannah , over the big bridge crossing the Savannah River , down the road a piece , hook a left on US 17 . The Refuge will be on your left a mile or two . The visitor center was closed on this  quiet Sunday morning so I grabbed a trail map and started the four mile circuit through the Refuge .

   The road winding through moss draped live oaks was a good place to catch a little shade .

   The gators must be having a bit of a weight problem because the Rangers have signs all over the place admonishing you to not feed the gators . Or maybe they are just reminders to watch your small children . 

   A hike around the end of the Diversion Canal resulted in some interesting sights . According to the information provided by the Refuge's radio system , the abandoned  rice fields and dike system was built by slave and Irish immigrant labor . There was enormous money in the rice crops . Most of the states Waterfowl Management Areas are also old rice plantations . 

   I don't know if it was a giant hatch or if there was a giant dragonfly convention or what . These guys were swarming in an area less than a quarter acre .

   The flowers blooming along the way were dazzling and every where you looked .

    I'm still learning proper bird names so any help or corrections are appreciated . I think these are Ibis .

                                                             
    Great Blue Heron

                                                         
    Red wing Blackbird

                                                                   
   Cranes

                                                                         
     Egret

                                                     
     A small murder of crows

                                                             
   Great Egrets

                                             
   An American Bald Eagle dropping in .

                                                                 
    More Egrets

    Anahinga . Also called the snake bird for it's habit of swimming under water with only it's long neck and head sticking up above the surface .

                                                           

    Great Blue Heron 

                                                         

    Ducks and Terns

                                               

 Sliders ( yes , I know they aren't birds )

    The marsh was in full bloom . While it is not a true marsh , many of the rice fields look like they are reverting back to marsh .

   April/May is a great time to visit SNWR . Temps are still fairly cool , the stiff breeze blows most of the biting bugs away , there is a plethora of wildlife , and there are tons of things in bloom . It is also part of Georgia's Coastal Birding Trail .