| Surf
Watch Tour
Early
fall is a great time to tour a group of visitors through gardens,
ponds, woods and marshes. I began the Marriott SurfWatch tour from
the front porch which had two joggling boards--a good place to
wait for the tour participants. We walked toward the first pond
and saw some white ducks. Two of them were sitting on eggs. As we
were gazing across the lake, a Little Blue Heron flew to its
favorite feeding spot on one edge, and started putting on a show
for us. On the other side of me was a cluster of wading and
swimming birds--more white ducks, a Pied-billed Grebe, and a Snowy
Egret--while a Boat-tailed Grackle came and ate the bread someone
had just set out for the ducks. I toured the guests around the
back of the pond and into the woods, pointing out native plants
and trees, before heading across the marsh. We saw quite a few
Egrets and White Ibises, and heard some Clapper Rails. The
Spartina grass, Black Needlerush and Sea Oxeye very clearly
defined the marsh landscape, showing the higher areas that are not
as exposed to salt water from the tides.
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