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JOCASSEE WINTERBIRDS REPORT. The Boney’s have arrived! That’s what we gull loving bird nuts call the magnificent Bonaparte’s gulls, the smallest, most agile and acrobatic gull we see in our part of the world. They are the harbinger of fall and spring winterbird migration here. They come and go with the loons, every year….

Swinging from a star…‍ ‍For my husband to pull me out of the warm and cozy house on a cold and cloudy morning just past daybreak, it better be good. It is. I spy the leaf as the car rolls towards the boat ramp. A single bright yellow maple leaf is suspended in mid-air, nothing…

One morning this week, draped in ponchos and snuggled under blankets, we left the dock under a ceiling of dark, moisture-laden clouds, misting rain and air temps hovering in the 50’s. After introductions and questions of expectations for the day, one man in particular said he was hoping to see a bald eagle. 20 minutes…

Misty morning‍ ‍Thursday, finally, a soaking rain falls, enough rain to give Jocassee Valley a deep, quenching drink. Through the night it rains, dimming the light of a nearly full moon, softening ground, rinsing dust. Friday morning’s sun rises into fog and fine mist, moisture that suspends like shining beads along a spider’s web. On…

JOCASSEE WINTERBIRDS REPORT I heard loons this morning, under a fine late fall sky. First a long, lonely wail at daybreak, coming from the Bootleg ramp area of the big water, then several hoots of loons gathering together, likely preceding a period of morning feeding. Yesterday morning I heard, ever so faintly, loons calling from…

Aphercotropism‍ Do we embrace an obstacle, or try to break it apart? Consider the delicate growing tip of a tree root, which might go either way. A dusty old nineteenth century word describes the process of growing away from, or around, a barrier. Aphercotropism is a mouthful of a word. A root feels its way…

JOCASSEE WINTERBIRDS REPORT: Happy November, everyone, the month in which Jocassee begins its transformation into a sanctuary for many varies of migratory waterbirds that call Jocassee home in winter. The star of the show is the common loon, of course, that spectacular, charismatic bird that leaves its breeding lakes in the upper Mid-West this time…

  So long October, hello November! What a great way to end the warm season. The weather was amazing for the last kayak tour of the year. The lake was smooth as glass, creating mirror images of the colorful trees. A few Sulphur butterflies were still fluttering about and the air temperature was perfect for…

Joros‍ Maybe they arrived here as youngsters, stowed in a shipping container. Maybe they were hidden in a box and trucked into the Georgia foothills in pitch blackness. Maybe there were only a couple of them, but more likely there were hundreds. Maybe some of them didn’t survive. Maybe the survivors spun out a balloon…

VOTE! Yep, it’s that time again. Every four years we are called to help shape the future of our country, and with that comes an opportunity to let you know where we stand. And since we know you are waiting breathlessly for our sage guidance, here it is. With a deep sense of urgency, we…

Competition ‍ In a quiet cove on the west side of Lake Jocassee, one brilliant yellow paw-paw tree glows in light of autumn sun shining through its leaves. We sit in awe. Surely, this is the most beautiful tree in the Jocassee Gorges. We putter on, across Devils Fork and around Fisher Knob Mountain, and…

  For most of us ready for a respite from a long, dry summer and the clean up from the hurricanes, October has arrived with its sweatshirt mornings and short sleeve afternoons. Mid 40’s to low 50’s to start the day and mid 70’s by late afternoon. Migrating Monarch and Sulfur butterflies begin to move…