A Little Wildlife at the Beach

I know it's a gaggle of geese when they are on the ground ... 

 

(and a skein when they are in the air), but don't these look like a herd grazing in the parking lot?

There are 25 or so goslings and 7 adults tending them.  

Keep your eye on that adult in the center.

 

He has lowered his head and started hissing while walking toward the photographer -- moi.

The little ones pay no attention and keep walking toward me.

 And since I didn't back down, he turned his attention to the errant little guys, hissing and honking and directing them to GET BACK NOW!  

They did.

 

Waaaay up the beach where we seldom venture this guy overlooks all the crazy traffic and tourists and has a good laugh.  

Dogs are fine with us.  In fact, we like them better than we like some people.

 

 

Purple martins were encouraged by the planters who first summered on Pawleys Island because they are mosquito eating machines.  The tradition has been carried on and martin houses and swooping martins are everywhere on the island.  And, I must say, I've never been bitten by a mosquito on Pawleys! 

 

Cormorant enjoying the view and alligator on the tiny island.  The sign says something about leaving the alligators alone; they are dangerous.

Sometimes cormorants and a gator share this little island.  I guess gators don't like the taste of cormorants.  Otherwise the bird could quite easily be gator lunch.

I'll end with this guy, plucked from the sand while we were looking for turtle nests 

on Pawleys Island.  

I think he enjoyed the view better from up here!