Lens-Artists Challenge #36 – Around the Neighborhood

“The whole world is one neighborhood.”

Franklin D. Roosevelt

NATURE’S BEST, SEABROOK ISLAND

Wouldn’t it be nice if we all felt as FDR suggested, that the whole world is one neighborhood? Unfortunately, I’m afraid we’re not quite there yet. This week though, let’s take a step forward and celebrate the neighborhood – your own, that of a friend or loved one, or simply a place you’ve visited that had a sense of community and made you feel welcome. For my part, I’m featuring Seabrook Island, a beautiful barrier island that happens to be the closest neighbor to us here on Kiawah.

EGRETS AND FENCE

“On this shrunken globe, we can no longer live as strangers.”

Adelai Stevenson

I was invited by a good friend to spend some time on Seabrook photographing the beautiful roseate spoonbills that are roosting on one of their lagoons. While there she showed me some of her favorite spots, all of which offered glorious vistas and amazing wildlife. I got lucky while shooting the landscape above because a helicopter flew overhead, causing the egrets to fly out of their well-hidden nests. I was equally fortunate to catch the image below.

DEER ON ALERT

“We live in a world that has narrowed into a neighborhood before it has broadened into a brotherhood.”

Lyndon B. Johnson

Startled by a huge splash behind me as I crossed a small bridge, I turned quickly – just in time to see three deer bounding across the water on their way to the nearby woods. For a brief moment, the final deer froze to check me out. In the cases of both the flying egrets and the loping deer, my shot opportunity lasted no longer than an instant. I was pleased with the performance of my Fuji X-T2 which managed to capture both incidents without any real preparation.

And now on to the original intent of the visit, the “rosies”….

PRETTY IN PINK

“A man is called selfish not for pursuing his own good, but for neglecting his neighbor’s.”

Richard Whately

Here in South Carolina we’ve not really seen roseate spoonbills until the last few years; this is the first time I’ve seen them actually roosting locally in larger quantities. It seems they are moving north from their more-typical environment in Florida – possibly an example of the impact of climate change. Their lovely pink coloring is due to their diet, which in Florida includes pink shrimp. The shrimp in our area are either white or brown, so it will be interesting to see if the birds lose some of their coloring over time. Coordinating with their pink feathers, they also have stunning bright red eyes.

Speaking of bright red eyes, I’ve included an image below of a black-crowned night heron. These birds are quite skittish and have become adept at camouflaging themselves along the edges of lagoons and marshes. In my 20 years of southern living, I’ve never seen a night heron in flight, so I was excited to capture this image along with the spoonbills. Apparently birds visit other neighborhoods too 🙂.

HIGH-FLYING HERON

“Being a good neighbor is an art that makes life richer.”

Gladys Tabor

Back in my own neighborhood, I made the capture below of a majestic eagle nesting here on Kiawah. I’m hoping there are some eaglets to follow soon!

ON THE NEST

“Nothing makes you more tolerant of a neighbor’s noisy party than being there.”

Franklin P. Jones

Finally, a few additional images from my day of spoon-billing on Seabrook Island.

SMOOTH LANDING

BALANCING ACT

SPOONBILL ON DISPLAY

They’re quite something to see, don’t you think? And speaking of something to see – Amy set a high bar last week with her Machu Picchu images in our Architecture challenge. Your responses showed us how beautifully varied architecture can be.

HAVE YOU SEEN THESE?

Su Leslie took an unusual and creative approach to the challenge here

JohnRH gave us a tour of architecture around the world here

We’re looking forward to seeing what you found interesting this week in your own neighborhood or another that caught your eye and your lens. Remember to tag your post Lens-Artists so that we can find you, and to link it here as well. For more information about how to participate in our challenges, look here.

Note: All images shot with Fuji X-T2, 55-200mm lens