In the best eKos tradition this is a recycled diary. I wrote it for Dawn Chorus last weekend but didn't actually use it. This is a virtual trip to Cumberland Island National Seashore, home to wild horses, armadillos, and the ever shifting boundary between the ocean and the firmament.
The Pelican above saw us off as we caught the morning ferry from St. Mary's, Georgia out to the island. The immature laughing gull below kept us company on the trip.
We saw quite a few other cool birds from the boat such as a flock of white pelicans and a wood stork but they were too far away for pictures.
Cumberland Island is a barrier island, formed by wind and the waves. It is the largest barrier island in Georgia. It has a rich natural and human history. Much of the island was inhabited in the past as you can see in this picture of the ruins of Dungeness Manor built in the early 19th century. Nearby is an old graveyard in which the father of Robert E. Lee was originally buried.
The island wildlife coexists with human history. The dark objects on the lawn are wild turkeys.
Also in the area were some of the islands 'wild' horses. They are free ranging but so acclimated to human beings that calling them wild seems hardly appropriate. Although much of the island is national seashore a number of private dwelling remain on the island.
The fish crows seemed to find the horses pretty interesting.
Just up the road was a more recent relic of human habitation.
We walked by a salt marsh which was very scenic but didn't yield much bird life.
It did have some fiddler crabs. The mud in which the crabs are living is rich in nutrients. Despite the paucity of visible life, the marsh is one of the most productive of habitats.
And up into the dunes.
The dunes are formed by wind acting on sand washed up from the sea. The dunes protect the back side of the island. The nutrient rich environment of the marsh requires protection. The ocean surf would wash it away.
The dunes are the polar opposite of the marsh, just a few yards away. An environment that is constantly in flux, poor in nutrients and usually dry. A difficult place to make a home.
And then down to the beach where we saw quite a few birds. A couple of the less common ones.
Piping Plover
Dunlin
The beach is also a nutrient poor environment. Most of the food for beach animals comes from the wrack, material washed up on the shore. Among the algae and miscellaneous debris are more interesting treasures from the sea.
Human beach combers like to look for these things but they are an important source of food for non-humans as well.
And then back across the dunes and into the visually striking maritime forest
Which was full of these guys.
I have never seen so many armadillos in my life.
And then back to the ferry to back to the continent, leaving behind this place that spans two worlds.