Birds and Butterflies but No Colin....

This is the beach at Ft. Fisher -- the very same one that Colin Firth was walking on the day before.  Today a wedding was taking place (last month we watched them doing an HBO show).  It is a wonderful beach that stretches for miles with no people.  This island (Pleasure Island) is spectacular in that there are two state parks bookending the two towns of Carolina Beach and Kure Beach.  The Cape Fear River is on one side and the Atlantic Ocean on the other.  It was a peninsula until the Army Corps of Engineers made a cut across in the 30's (Snow's Cut).  So it isn't a sand bar like the Outer Banks are and thus not as much a victim of the vicissitudes of nature.

This is a Gulf Fritillary which I had seen in Florida.  I had seen them flying around the house but finally got a picture down at Ft. Fisher.  They are certainly a beautiful bright butterfly.  This is the northernmost part of their range.

This is a  Buckeye (I am assuming a Common).  You can see the big round circles on the wings.

At the other end of the island is  Carolina Beach State Park which is a wonderful wildlife refuge filled with walking trails, a campground, picnic grounds and a marina.  Warren and I took the Flytrap walk (but didn't see any of the many carnivorous plants native to the area) and then went and sat on a bench by the river.  This Ruddy Turnstone was doing what he does best, turning stones for food!

The Ruddy Turnstone practically ran over my feet -- he seemed to have no fear at all.  I love their bright orange feet.  He did manage to get a crab while we were watching.