After a lazy morning and a cooked breakfast with his favourite coffee, we met up with Roseanne and Neil and set off for the park which was only a 15 minute drive from our condo. Perhaps the best known "studiers" of wildlife at Huntington Beach State Park are the birders who for years have been coming to see some of the more than 300 species that have been recorded there, giving the park a reputation as a top spot on the East Coast. In addition to three miles of beach, much of the park is salt marshes, one of the world’s most productive eco-systems.
Our first stop in the park was to see the alligator in the park's freshwater lake.
Some of the birds we saw were the snowy egret, cardinals, plovers, sandpipers and chickadees. Paul also found a squirrel having a snack in the tree.
Our most interesting find was at the the park’s Environmental Education Center. Here we were all fascinated by the little seahorse. It was very interesting to see how it moved with the use of fins near its head and on its back.
Huntington Park also had great boardwalks on the marsh and hiking trails.
Of course being the Carolina's, there was also an awesome beach. We spent some time taking a leisurely stroll, hoping to find some treasures. We watched the sandpipers and plovers on the shore and saw pelicans flying overhead.
After a couple of hours of enjoying the park, we headed back to Surfside Beach to Nibils Restaurant at Surfside Pier so we could toast the birthday guy with cool ones in hand. We also enjoyed a nice dinner of steak and seafood.
The evening was complete with a chocolate boston creme cake.
Looks like a fun day even though you needed parkas. Ah, to feel the sea breeze...
ReplyDelete