Saluda Shoals

Our department picnic was held at Saluda Shoals (you've seen in mentioned/appearing many times in previous posts) again this year.  I was going to take the kayaks out again this year (as I had last year with Ed), but had too much going on the deal with all of the prep work.  So, rather than paddling, I decided to hit the park early and do some birding and whatever else struck my fancy.

I decided to check out their Wetland Boardwalk.  I saw a few common birds early in the walk, then came to the "wetland" part of the walk.  This was a pretty neat little area.

Saluda Shoals Wetland Preservation

The water was covered with green duckweed and red Azolla carolinia.  I wouldn't believe how thick it was.  I kept seeing little disturbances here and there on the surface of the water.  I thought perhaps it was fish eating the vegetation, until a passerby pointed out this little critter.  How great are these colors?

That's a frog.

There was a section of the boardwalk that descended, in amphitheater style, directly down to the water, so I went down to check it out.

That's a shoe, albeit a funny shoe

Soon after I spotted a juvenile Red-shouldered hawk, and spent the rest of my available time watching it eat something that it had caught before I noticed it.

Red-shouldered hawk ripping apart its catch

Red-shouldered hawk keeping an eye out for second dinner

I did some stalking to get closer the the hawk for the second shot.  By the time I disturbed it enough to relocate, it was time for me to join the other math folks at the picnic pavilion.