Bookclub in Savannah

My Atlanta bookclub spent this past weekend in Savannah, on the Georgia coast. We enjoyed the beach on Tybee Island, as well as wandering through Savannah's bookstores, tea shops, and art galleries. Two of us pulled ourselves out of bed early to go birding on Sunday and were rewarded with sights of roseate spoonbills, wood storks, herons, anhingas, and a family of raccoons. Here are a few highlights.

 

We spent most of the first day on Tybee Island, a barrier island just east of Savannah. With an air temperature over 90 °F, and a water temperature of 87 °F, it was almost too warm, but we all enjoyed the water and were very excited to see a pod of dolphins swimming just offshore. On the way home, we stopped by the Tybee Island Light Station, the third lighthouse on this site, built in 1773 (since repaired), and still actively maintained and operated by the Coast Guard.

We visited multiple bookstores and tea shops in Savannah, but the highlight was certainly E. Shaver Booksellers, a cute independent bookstore with a great selection, and four resident cats: Bartleby, Skimbleshanks, Mr. Eliot, and the elusive Morticia (who hangs out in the backrooms and was not sighted).

      

Skimbleshanks

Mr. Eliot

Savannah is known for the iconic southern live oaks (Quercus virginiana) and dangling Spanish moss (Tillandsia usneoides). Spanish moss is rather misleading, as it is not from Spain, but native to the U.S. and much of the Americas; it is also neither moss nor lichen, but a member of the bromeliad family!

We enjoyed Savannah's urban planning, which from the beginning included small neighborhoods (wards) and open space. Twenty-two of the original city squares remain, adding shade and walking routes through downtown.

On Sunday morning, I headed to Skidaway Island, specifically Priest Landing, which I'd heard of from other birders. We arrived to to a completely empty beach along the Wilmington River estuary, with only a few laughing gulls in the distance.

 

We started by walking along the beach, and soon realized there were crabs everywhere! I believe they were Squareback Marsh Crabs (Armases cinereum)

 After a few minutes, we saw a flock of wood storks (Mycteria americana) fly in...

   

And a few minutes later, my first roseate spoonbill (Platalea ajaja). 

 

  

They all flew past us, across the beach and into the trees, and I couldn't tell if they landed somewhere or just kept flying. So I was very excited when we found them all roosting (assuming it was the same individuals... it might not have been). First, we came upon a whole tree of wood storks. 

 

  

I counted 20 individuals, but there may have been more. Although they look small in comparison to the pine tree, wood storks are very large birds, approximately a meter tall with a wingspan of 140-180 cm (55-71 in).

 

  

I noticed that their feet are pink! Wood storks were formerly listed as endangered in the U.S., but populations have been recovering and they have been delisted; they are also more plentiful in South America.

 

 

I was watching the wood storks when I heard some movement to my right. When I looked over, I saw a family of three raccoons! 

 

 

 

  

As we walked down the trail parallel to the beach, we were rewarded with views of quite a number of lovely birds. Several species of water birds were roosting in the trees together.

 

  

I was most excited to see the roseate spoonbills, which unlike Spanish moss, are very aptly named; like flamingos, their pink coloration is derived from pigments in their diet. Spoonbills were almost hunted to extinction for their feathers, but have also recovered well thanks to conservation efforts.

 

  

There were also several yellow-crowned night herons (Nyctanassa violacea), my first time seeing them in the U.S.

  

 

 

And one tricolored heron (Egretta tricolor).

 

 

 

We also saw a great blue heron (Ardea herodias), a much more common bird in the U.S., but still a favorite. I hadn't realized until writing this today how many different genera there are of egrets and herons (family Ardeidae). Herons and egrets are not biologically distinct, but apparently are named differently only on the basis of their plumage.

 

 

This anhinga (Anhinga anhinga... that one's easy) was sunning itself in its typical posture. Anhingas dive to catch fish, but unlike ducks, they don't have oily, waterproof feathers, so they need to dry out!

 

  

And I'll leave you with a few more roseate spoonbills. Aren't they gorgeous? And also kinda funny looking?

 

 

 

 

I'm thankful for my bookclub friends, who managed to go from idea to blocking off the weekend in approximately five minutes. We all had a great time and agreed we'd be happy to go back. (Next year?) Not pictured: reading time, book discussions, several delicious meals with lots of seafood, and laughter-filled word games.