A whole lot of Bull's Island that is... On a trip to South Carolina and under the hospitality of Coastal Expeditions, we board a boat and venture out into Cape Romain National Wildlife Refuge, making landfall on Bull's Island.

First, a couple facts and figures about the wildlife refuge (source: Wikipedia):

• It's a 66,287 acre (267 km²) National Wildlife Refuge in southeastern South Carolina near Awendaw, South Carolina
• 29,000 acres (120 km²) are designated as Class I Wilderness - super clean and pristine, as is evidenced by the oysters in residence
• Most of the refuge is only accessible by boat - which is where Coastal Expeditions come in extremely handy...
• Established in 1932 as a haven for migratory birds, Cape Romain National Wildlife Refuge is additionally managed for the protection of threatened and endangered species such as the loggerhead sea turtle, wood stork, and piping plover
• Although at the time of writing the website was down, you can find out more about the reserve here www.fws.gov/caperomain/

After being picked up at Garris Landing, we, along with our fellow explorers, make the twenty minute trip to the dock at Bull's Island. During the ride, Captain Wil provides an informative commentary about the reserve and the wildlife we pass en route. Armed with a map of the island, we disembark and head out on the trails, which are flat and easily traversed.

After a bit of a walk and a couple of turns here and there, we hit "Alligator Alley" and sure enough, it lives up to its name. We're told the alligators have little interest in the human visitors to the island and simply slink off into the water when approached, but didn't have the opportunity to test this theory first hand.

We spot a few Great Egrets hanging out.

And what I believe is a Northern Mockingbird - it's questionable what a Northern Mockingbird is doing in the south, but he's welcome nonetheless.

Our next point of call is Boneyard Beach - sounds more gruesome than it is. Bull's Island is a barrier island, so it takes the brunt of the weather and tidal onslaught. As sea levels rise and the land erodes the trees are met by the sea. I don't think we made it to the main part of Boneyard Beach, but the pictures below give you an idea.

Our last significant bird encounter on Bull's Island was with some White Ibis birds - again, I believe this is what they are but they're looking somewhat grey, huh? Maybe it's all the pluff mud.

It was an enlightening and educational excursion, and before we get to our last wildlife spotting picture, a couple of things to inform you of.

The image on the left is known as 'Spanish moss'- you can see it in the trail picture further up the page. However, it's not Spanish and it's not a moss. Not sure who's bright idea it was to name it what they did, but there you have it. And the image on the right is the Palmetto tree, the state tree of South Carolina which is featured on the state flag. However, it's not a tree, it's a grass... So there's that.

And finally, on our way back from the island, we spotted these American Oystercatchers. More than 50% of South Carolina’s wintering Oystercatchers spend their winter in Cape Romain National Wildlife Reserve.

All in all, a great day out. Lots of walking, but I'm told that's good for me. A big shout out to Captain Wil and First Mate Nick for their hospitality, friendliness and informative chat, and to Chris Crolley of Coastal Expeditions - they're doing great work in the reserve. If you're in the Charleston area, do look them up and the Bulls Island ferry service that these genuinely nice folks run.

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