The Local Sights

The view coming off the bridge into Apalachicola.

A rusted trawler rests in the marshes of the Apalachicola River delta.

Storms roll in over Apalachicola Bay as we cross the bridge onto St. George Island. When a trans-Gulf migrant approaches the coast and encounters stormy weather, they often take aim on the first land they see. Here, that first bit of land is St. George Island.

The view along Gulf Beach Drive, St. George Island. The open areas are utilized by migrant Bobolinks, as well as a host of adaptable residents such as Gray Kingbirds, Northern Mockingbirds, and Common Ground-Doves.

Beyond the rows of beach houses lie remnant tracts of pine flatwoods. It is in these woods that migrating birds congregate. This pond is in the middle of our plot in Unit 4 of the Apalachicola National Estuarine Research Reserve (ANERR). Local Green Herons are often seen along the perimeter, and at dusk begins a ringing chorus of frogs and toads.

The sun sets over Apalachicola Bay and the Bryant Patton Bridge. Numerous migrant shorebirds feed along the bay shore, while terns from nearby breeding colonies hunt overhead. The bay is also a hotbed for oyster harvesting, helping make Apalachicola one of the oyster capitals of the country.