Instantly Awake
Tom Hyde and I went to Santee National Wildlife Refuge, SC for six hours as a sort of scouting mission. It is right at a three hour drive from hour homes in NC. A great place to see birds. I saw more red tail hawks than I ever have seen along with a bald eagle and a couple of American Kestrels. Unfortunatly even with the 2x teleconverter on the 100-400 I didn't get any really good shots. The one below is one of the better ones and I really had to work on it. You have to really applaud the folks that use manual focus all the time. Need some time and a blind.
We also found out that there is a good alligator population. We saw at least four 10+ footers close snoozing near a canal that flowed into Lake Marion. Tom who has his permanent residence in Miami and sees these big reptiles on a much more regular basis was surprised by their size.
More impressive than their size is the speed that they move from complete apparent slumber to movement. You wouldn't have a chance.
The refuge is also a short 45 minute drive from Charleston. Always a good reason to travel this way. Bigger big guy.
Instantly Awake
Tom Hyde and I went to Santee National Wildlife Refuge, SC for six hours as a sort of scouting mission. It is right at a three hour drive from hour homes in NC. A great place to see birds. I saw more red tail hawks than I ever have seen along with a bald eagle and a couple of American Kestrels. Unfortunatly even with the 2x teleconverter on the 100-400 I didn't get any really good shots. The one below is one of the better ones and I really had to work on it. You have to really applaud the folks that use manual focus all the time. Need some time and a blind.
We also found out that there is a good alligator population. We saw at least four 10+ footers close snoozing near a canal that flowed into Lake Marion. Tom who has his permanent residence in Miami and sees these big reptiles on a much more regular basis was surprised by their size.
More impressive than their size is the speed that they move from complete apparent slumber to movement. You wouldn't have a chance.
The refuge is also a short 45 minute drive from Charleston. Always a good reason to travel this way. Bigger big guy.