blue heron – David Kotz

Ballater, Scotland

Four short hikes.

We’re in the midst of a two-week driving tour of Scotland, about which I’ll post later. Meanwhile, a quick report about our hikes this weekend – my 31st consecutive weekend hike – in and around the small town of Ballater in the center of Cairngorm National Park. In addition to the natural beauty of the pastoral landscape surrounding this village on the shores of the River Dee, Ballater is known for the nearby Balmoral Castle (“the Highland home of the Royal Family”), built by Queen Victoria and a favorite retreat for Queen Elizabeth II. This area offers many interesting walks, from 4km to 70km. Given our schedule, I ended up doing four short walks, outlined after the photo.

SC wildlife – December

I was back in South Carolina for the Christmas holiday and had a chance to explore some of the wildlife around Kiawah Island and Magnolia Plantation, both near Charleston. The gallery shows some of my favorite photos from that week… deer, ducks, alligators, herons, and seagulls. I especially enjoyed watching a pair of blue herons going about the construction of their nest. They seemed to be taking their time, slowly building it one tiny stick at a time.

Blue herons building a nest, Magnolia Gardens, South Carolina.

Ace basin birdlife

A day in the wildlife refuges of coastal South Carolina.

During my visit to Charleston, my father and I spent several hours exploring the wetlands of Bear Island WMA and Donnelly WMA – two beautiful wildlife management areas in the “Ace Basin” south of Charleston. I snapped nearly a thousand photos, and present the best two dozen in the gallery. Below, a blue heron settles in near an island, where an anhinga dries its wings; these two had an altercation earlier… read on for the drama!