Hilton Head, SC

Vacationer's Mecca

As a resort Hilton Head is only 50 years old, and the island isn't really technically considered as one of the barrier islands but rather part of a glacial moraine and a sea island from long ago deposits. What it definitely is is a year round playground.

There are at least 2 dozen golf courses on this 55 square mile island with many of the courses garnering considerable fame in the golf world for hosting some of the biggest PGA tournaments. 

Come sit a spell. There are 15 gated communities on the island so that should tell you something about the target age group.

Popular with the avian set, this flock of Brown Pelicans are beginning to display their breeding plumage wherein the head coloring becomes more pronounced. The cormorant at far right is just plain jealous. The range of tides can be seen on the seawall. Tidal swings can hit 10'.

 Garden neighbors seem pretty peaceable don't they? There were certainly enough of the little red flowers to go around

This is a Fiddler Crab. It is the mark of the specie to have one claw markedly bigger than the the other. Large claw distribution can be 50-50 right or left. They are a good indicator of marsh health, which is their habitat.

As small as they might be, they produce these oversized spheres of waste. Known as "detritivores", the fiddler crabs use their claws to bring any kind of detritus to their mouths. The sediment left ends up being formed into the balls. 

Ralph Eschelman did a great job of describing the history, culture and natural life as our cruise nosed through the ICW of South Carolina, Georgia and N. Florida. Did he find an old football helmet here? No, it's the shell of the prehistoric looking Horseshoe Crab. More on that crab on a future post. Hopefully Ralph will give me high marks for getting what he told us this day correct. Any errors are mine and not his : > )