Fun on Jekyll's beaches

Jekyll Island is a beautiful natural island off the coast of southern Georgia. I just returned from my annual October trek here for the Colonial Coast Bird & Wildlife Festival. Coming from Florida there is a bit of a "been there done that" feel to this fest as so many of the birds and sites are familiar, but still walking out of your hotel and right out on to the beach each morning is spectacular. Particularly when there are good birds around.

assorted gulls and tern on Jekyll Island

One nice part about Jekyll though is that there is a lot of pressure to not let it become overly commercialized as a result, I find the scenery much more natural than a lot of east coast beach fronts. The result for me is a very relaxed view of the many migrants sailing over, flitting through the oaks and pines, or even resting on the beaches. Since the vendors spend so much time inside at our respective booths, I always enjoy my morning strolls and have to admit I enjoy being on the water.

adult Lesser Black-Backed Gull digiscoped on Jekyll Island

There is limited time and too many things to do so I usually find my way to the southern end of the island where I can get a good mix of migrating raptors & songbirds along the brushy trails which wind to the beach. By scanning through the large flocks of gulls and terns I see all of the more common species like Caspian, Royal, Forster's, and Sandwich Terns, Black Skimmers, and Laughing, Ring-billed, and Herring Gulls, but with persistence you inevitably see other species like Lesser Black-backed Gulls (above) or a rare Franklin's Gull (below) joining the many similar Laughing Gulls.

1st winter Franklin's Gull, digiscoped Jekyll Island, GA 10/14/07

Shorebirds are found in scattered flocks as well. Willets, Ruddy Turnstones, Western Sandpipers, and Sanderling are the norm, but here again you will find others mixed in: Black-bellied, Semipalmated, and Piping Plovers; Dowitcher or Dunlin.

Red Knots digiscoped with Leica C-Lux 2 through APO Televid spotting scope, JI 10/12/07

Two Red Knots in their drab gray basic (winter) plumage dropped in front of a group of digiscopers on Friday morning before the vendor area opened. The following AM we returned to the same area to lead a digiscoping field trip and had spectacular views of some wonderful subjects.

digiscoped with LeicaC-Lux 2 camera & APO Televid 77 spotting scope

All of the typical subjects were there and we had a few bonuses to boot, including a nice young Reddish Egret (above) and a group of American Oystercatchers (below) that sat in perfect light.

American Oystercatchers digiscoped Jekyll Island, GA 10/13/07

We didn't just shoot the birds though as usual there were hoards of migrating butterflies like Gulf Fritillaries, Monarchs, and Common Buckeyes. I was also amused by the antics of the ghost crabs scurrying across the sands like the one captured below.

Ghost Crab - digiscoped on Colonial Coast digiscoping workshop 10/13/07

As usual while standing out there migrating raptors could be seen and at any given time the gulls and terns would burst into the air as a Peregrine Falcon sailed past. I enjoyed my time there and look forward to my next trip to this lovely, relaxing destination which offers fantastic birding!