We were staying in a cabin in the woods by an inlet on a marsh. I sat drawing and humming by the quiet inlet, seeing the muddy banks emerge at low tide, watching the colors change constantly in the sky and the water, the long grasses waving . Then a splash just below me in the reeds. A river otter loudly and lustily chomped on a fish.

Exciting wildlife dramas were a bonus on our visit to Edisto Beach State Park, South Carolina, in February. The twisty long branches of the live oaks dripping with Spanish moss and the palmetto fronds in the misty air would have been enough. The long beaches and inlets. More than enough. Not being in New York during a blizzard, gloatingly enough.

But then there was the dolphin that chased a fish onto the muddy embankment and captured it there.

On a trail, the top of a pine tree provided a perch for a mansion of an eagle’s nest.

The parent eagle on a branch nearby (look to the left)looked small by comparison to its nest.

For lots more photos including from Charleston, South Carolina, and of our friends from Tennessee and North Carolina who visited with us at Edisto Island, visit my Zenfolio album: https://patarnow.zenfolio.com/p491044924

Photos by Pat Arnow © 2026