One of the highlights of our beach weekend was time spent as a family
aboard a small motor boat. Captained by Mr. Barry, we cruised the tidal
inlets for three hours ("a three-hour tour ... ") in search of all types of lowcountry wildlife--pelicans, bald eagles, flying fish, and even dolphins.
We passed shrimp boat after shrimp boat (and some not-so-lucky sunken shrimp boats). You can buy fresh shrimp by the pound from a number of the docks we passed, we were told. I'm already dreaming of shrimp recipes to try out next year, when we join Ellen and Barry for a whole week in a beach house.
About halfway through our tour, we spotted what we think was a juvenile bald eagle perched near the shore. (Any ornithologists out there??) We circled the boat for a while and he eventually flew off. Once fully grown, a bald eagle's wing span can be as big as six feet.
With the tide coming back in and the beer cooler beginning to run low, the time came to search for bottlenose dolphins, which are known to fish in the area. Dan took the helm while the rest of us scanned the shoreline for fins.
In no time, we spotted a school of dolphins circling. Here is a series of pictures of one stranding, a hunting technique the species uses predominately in Carolinian and Georgian waters. Dolphins work as a pack to drive fish ashore and then throw themselves on the beach to catch and eat their prey. (Stranded on porpoise, ha!) It was so cool to watch. Check it out:
Well done, Danny boy!
For more pictures of our Kiawah trip, see here.
...