2005/03 Deep South trip - Savannah Wildlife Refuge |
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Monday March 21st
The fine weather held most of the day. I had the bright idea of visiting Savannah, which survived the Civil War with most of its buildings intact. We made our way to the Visitors’ Centre, where there’s a trolley to the historic district, but found that 
there were a few hundred cars competing for a handful of parking spaces. We’re too large to win that sort of contest, so we left the exploration of Savannah for another trip, and crossed the Savannah River into South Carolina. 
Almost immediately we found the Savannah Wildlife Refuge and pulled in there for lunch. We stayed for about three hours! The refuge used to be a rice plantation, with dikes and gates 
that kept the sea water at bay. That system is still in place, and the refuge is home to coots, gallinules, herons, egrets, ducks, and even the ibis with its sinister long curved bill.
We were also looking out for alligators, expecting them to be in these big pools with the birds, but they turned out be along
the banks of the man-made canals, all looking self-satisfied with their big grins.
We also saw anhingas or “snake birds”. These dive into the water and swim with just their heads and long necks out of the water, looking like little Loch Ness monsters. When they emerge they hang their wings out to dry, 
like great bats in the trees.