Harris Neck National Wildlife Refuge

On my drive back up to Athens from Sapelo Island my wife and I stopped off at Harris Neck National Wildlife Refuge, located on the coast of Georgia south of Savanah. It is a bird sanctuary that was established in 1962 when it was transferred by the Federal Aviation Administration as a WWII Army airfield.

Harris Neck has saltwater marshes, grassland, mixed deciduous woods and cropland. With this variety of different habitats you get a wid rangs of bird species flying through there all of the year.

The park service also does controlled grass burns in the area. While driving the last bit of the park (you can drive through the refuge in certain areas and park to walk to other areas) we came around the corner to observe a spectacular site, an area with low lying grass amongst a pine forest. The color of the grass contrasting with the burnt bark of the pines made for a great photographic opportunity. And then the added bonus of some sunlight peaking through the clouds made for an unbelievable photographic opportunity. I had a lot of fun taking pictures of this part of the refuge.

Next time I am in the area I will come prepared to photograph some birds. This time around the swarms of mosquitoes put an end to that thought.

If you would like some more information on the Harris Neck National Wildlife Refuge, here are a couple of links:
http://www.fws.gov/harrisneck/
http://www.stateparks.com/harris_neck.html

Sapelo Island part 4

Another nicety of having to go down to Sapelo Island is the beach. I have never been on a beach as nice as the one on the south part of Sapelo Island with NO ONE else there. The beach is completely empty, devoid of annoying people. What this does is make for a perfectly peaceful area to rest and relax or even take some photographs.

Even better are the two lounge chairs someone has left for anybody to use. All you need to do is drag them down near the water where the wind blows the pesky mosquitoes and no-see-ums away from you, and just relax.