Images
© Dianne Faucette

 

What's to like about Hilton Head Island... 
          (click on thumbnails to enlarge)

HighTide.jpg (100532 bytes)
Beautiful shorelines at high tide and wide firm beaches at low tide

Butterflies-Hibiscus.jpg (93877 bytes)
Beautiful hibiscus blooms populated by butterflies

LoggerheadTurtle-emerging.jpg (91780 bytes)
Loggerhead sea turtle hatchlings emerging out of their shells under the dunes

LoggerheadHatchling.jpg (59027 bytes)
Loggerhead sea turtle hatchlings crawling to the sea

LoggerheadHatchlingInventory.jpg (77720 bytes)
Loggerhead hatchlings being helped by the turtle protection team

HarbourTown-aerial.jpg (97619 bytes)
Harbour Town Marina

KnobbedWhelk-live.jpg (55854 bytes)
Knobbed whelks and other live beach creatures

Marsh-FishHaulPark.jpg (82737 bytes)
Fish Haul Park is only one of our beautiful marshes that provide the nursery for our plentiful crabs, shrimp, oysters and mussels

Pelican-eggs.jpg (119075 bytes)
Some local charters, such as Skimmer Cruises, take nature-lovers to remote areas to watch nesting birds from a safe distance

SpiderCapturingPrey-FishHaulPark.jpg (74456 bytes)
One of nature's amazing events is a spider capturing an insect as large as a grasshopper

SweetgrassBaskets-HoneyHorn.jpg (66709 bytes)
Lowcountry locals have hand-woven sweetgrass baskets for generations and often display them at Honey Horn

Dolphin.jpg (60397 bytes)
Friendly dolphins

Anhinga-fish.jpg (52671 bytes)
Anhingas and other birds providing entertainment while they catch their dinner

BluebirdsOnGrill.jpg (60879 bytes)
Bluebirds and other songbirds checking out human habitats

Castnet.jpg (74809 bytes)
Locals casting nets for shrimp

Fisherman-FishHaulPark.jpg (73044 bytes)
Local fishermen along the beach

GreatBlueHeron-flying-FishHaulPark.jpg (88546 bytes)
Great blue herons looking for the best fishing spots

HoodedMerganser-SeaPines_1.jpg (71430 bytes)
Hooded mergansers and other migrating waterfowl arrive in our fresh water ponds every November

MarshTackies-HoneyHorn.jpg (106645 bytes)
Marsh tackies May and Bullet visiting Honey Horn for visitors and residents to admire

MarshTacky-HoneyHornMay.jpg (101152 bytes)
May has been a joy to watch grow

Pelican-young.jpg (60669 bytes)
Young pelicans occasionally preen their new feathers on the beach among the sunbathers

SeaPansy.jpg (105538 bytes)
Sea pansies wash up into the tidepools; not a plant, but a colony of animals

TeachingYoungCardinalToFeed.jpg (108034 bytes)
Nature is so close that one can watch a cardinal teaching its young to eat

Sunrise-Westin.jpg (57156 bytes)
Beautiful sunrises (and sunsets)

DolphinHead_P1210139.jpg (91855 bytes)
Many scenic spots

AmericanOystercatchers.jpg (90886 bytes)
American oystercatchers and other shorebirds feeding along the saltwater creeks

ButterflyPea-BurkesBeach.jpg (108852 bytes)
Butterfly pea plants along beach paths

DunesHouseGrill.jpg (63284 bytes)
The beachfront Dunes House Grill

GreenHerons-juv-PD.jpg (133717 bytes)
Juvenile green herons coming out of their nest along the lagoon in Palmetto Dunes

JacobPrestonPottery.jpg (73177 bytes)
Artisans such as Jacob Preston are popular in nearby Bluffton

Liz.jpg (55887 bytes)
Lizards and other creatures make themselves at home in some most unusual places

OspreyNest-SamsClub.jpg (51461 bytes)
Osprey families have found a home in the parking lot of Sam's Club

People-PD-beach.jpg (87905 bytes)
Visiting families enjoy quality time building forts and other sculptures in the sand, as well as walking and bicycling on the beach

ShelterCoveMarina.jpg (77628 bytes)
Shelter Cove is one of our beautiful marinas with fine shopping, dining and boat tours

TheFolly-SpringTide.jpg (51730 bytes)
The Folly on Burke's Beach changes shape as the currents shape the beach landscape

TidalCreek-BurkesBeach.jpg (74558 bytes)
Tidal creeks that provide great habitat for wildlife

AmericanGoldfinch.jpg (73913 bytes)
Migrating birds stopping at our feeders

Anhinga-twig-Cypress rookery HHP.jpg (28493 bytes)
Anhingas and other birds building nests in our many rookeries

CarolinaAnole.jpg (95709 bytes)
Carolina anoles enjoying our plants

FishingBoat.jpg (58278 bytes)
Fishing boats attracting flocks of gulls

GreenHeron-juvenile.jpg (74484 bytes)
Green herons are known to visit residents' decks

Jessie.jpg (90727 bytes)
Our dog-friendly beaches create many lasting  human and canine friendships

MarshPeriwinkles-SurfWatch.jpg (131941 bytes)
Interesting marsh periwinkles crawl up and down the Spartina cordgrass with the tides

OldSheldonChurchRuins.jpg (130216 bytes)
Another nearby historical site is Old Sheldon Church

PinckneyIsland.jpg (103994 bytes)
Pinckney Island NWR, just over the bridge, provides a unique habitat for many animals and plants

shuttlelaunch.jpg (16926 bytes)
We have been provided occasional views of space shuttle launches

Wood Stork-rescued.jpg (78894 bytes)
Residents have an opportunity to get involved in the raptor and shorebird rescue process
BackyardWildlife.jpg (102803 bytes)
Backyard wildlife

BeachMorningGlory-BurkesBeach.jpg (95516 bytes)
Wild beach morning glories 

CannonballJellyfish-young-PD.jpg (37615 bytes)
Cannonballs, the harmless jellyfish

BeachTour-BurkesBeach.jpg (73542 bytes)
Beach nature tours through the Coastal Discovery Museum

Clouds.jpg (59367 bytes)
Dramatic cloud formations visible from the beach

GhostCrab.jpg (83208 bytes)
Ghost crabs burrowing in the sand 

HandsOn-ButterflyHouse-HoneyHorn.jpg (114571 bytes)
Children enjoy touching flowers and butterflies at Honey Horn

LeatherbackNest172-Westin.jpg (104638 bytes)
An occasional leatherback sea turtle nest among the many loggerhead nests

MottledPurseCrab-PD.jpg (54803 bytes)
Mottled purse crabs are only one of the many beach and marsh residents here

PD-lagoon.jpg (84574 bytes)
The Palmetto Dunes 11-mile lagoon system provides nature, beauty and recreation

RuddyTurnstones.jpg (95956 bytes)
Ruddy turnstones are just one example of the shorebirds that stop over here to rest and feed during their very long journey

ThickLippedDrillEggcases.jpg (66898 bytes)
A thick-lipped oyster drill egg case attached to a whelk shell--a rare specimen washed up on our beach
GolfCourse.jpg (84761 bytes)
Lots of picturesque 
golf courses

CabbagePalm-HHI.jpg (66981 bytes)
Cabbage palms

GreatBlueHeron-legscrossed.jpg (75851 bytes)
Great blue herons fishing on the beach

HarbourTownLighthouse.jpg (61553 bytes)
The famous landmark at Harbour Town

LiveOak.jpg (131365 bytes)
Live oaks provide beauty and shade, giving Hilton Head Island its green image 

LittleBlueHeron-SurfWatch.jpg (68849 bytes)
Little blue herons
perch along ponds 
and creeks

Sanderling.jpg (54770 bytes)
Sanderlings are those fast-running "peeps" on the beach

SeaOats-Pelicans.jpg (80099 bytes)
The beautiful swaying sea oats protect the dunes from erosion

Birds-FishHaulPark.jpg (58269 bytes)
Migrating shorebirds on the less populated beaches

ChapelOfEase.jpg (93634 bytes)
Nearby historical tabby ruins

DolphinsStrandFeeding-DFaucette.jpg (113421 bytes)
Dolphins strand feeding, a locally learned technique

Rose-breastedGrosbeak.jpg (85328 bytes)
Some unusual migrants, like this rose-breasted grosbeak, visit our feeders