Two Raccoons & A Screech Owl - A Tale in Three Acts: Act 1, Part 1
Setting the Stage
A favorite area of mine to explore along Virginia’s fabled Eastern Shore is the Saxis Wildlife Management Area (WMA), a 5,500-acre expanse of untouched salt marsh stretching to the horizon.
From spring to early autumn, stands of smooth cordgrass, swaths of saltmeadow cordgrass and patches of black needle rush adorn the marsh with various hues of green, which transition to shades of gold during the winter.
Dotted with hammocks of loblolly pine and various hardwood trees with a thick understory of greenbrier and poison ivy, Saxis WMA is a land of bald eagles and ospreys, river otters, marsh wrens and seaside sparrows, red-winged blackbirds, and diamondback terrapins. Depending on the temperature and lack of a steady breeze, hordes of mosquitoes make being here at times a challenge.
An assortment of marsh birds – herons, egrets, and bitterns – are here year-round, and in the waning hours of a spring or summer’s day, the silence of the marsh is interrupted by a chorus of the repetitive rich, throaty chants of the chuck-wills-widow, the nasal honks of green tree frogs, the clamoring clucks of clapper rails, and the haunting hoots of great horned owls.
During winter’s grasp on the marsh, northern harriers and short-eared owls glide above the marsh while nearby bays and sounds play host to rafts of scaup, canvasbacks, and other wintering waterfowl including buffleheads and redheads.
The area I frequent borders Hammock Road, which is located between the coastal communities of Sanford and Saxis. This mile long road leads to a boat landing at Messongo Creek that empties into the Pocomoke Sound of the Chesapeake Bay. Along this small stretch of asphalt, I can be totally absorbed in photography for hours.
At first glance and to the untrained eye, this landscape might not seem deserving of exploration; it might appear too monotonous and boring. But with patience and careful observation, it is indeed a place worth photographing. For me, photographing at a marsh is like dipping a ladle in the water to capture just a few moments in a flowing river of moments: There are so many and there will always be something else later to capture. From wide-angle compositions of the sweeping marsh scenery to intimate portraits of the landscape, such as a close view of an old tree trunk surrounded by stalks of cordgrass, it is a photographer’s delight. And the early morning hours and sunset moments over the marsh can be dramatic and inspiring.
Visits to Hammock Road quickly became a scheduled activity during my future forays to the Eastern Shore. Whether or not I photographed here was not important; it was just wonderful to be immersed in the splendor of this remote marsh landscape.
Stay tuned for Act 1, Part II for a special moment I experienced on Hammock Road. And remember, it has been only one of many special moments I had there.
Sidebar: The Splendor of a Saltmarsh
The emerald-green expanse of wind-swept tidal marshes along the Eastern Shore is one of the most productive ecosystems in the world. Rich in species diversity – both plant and animal – the landscape appears simple in structure. But a closer look reveals a complex arrangement of water, tides, life, and processes, each working in synch to create a dynamic world of extraordinary abundance and composition. Nourished by hundreds of rivers and creeks and a continual cycle of high and low tides, the brackish waters of the Chesapeake Bay alone harbor more than 2,500 species of plants and animals. The two major marsh grasses ruling this saline environment are the smooth cordgrass (Spartina Alterniflora) and the smaller saltmeadow cordgrass (Spartina patens) with black needlerush (Juncus roemerianus) coming in a distant third.
Want to learn more about the complexity and beauty of the saltmarsh? I recommend the classic “Life and Death of the Salt Marsh” by John and Mildred Teal and “Birds by the Shore” by Jennifer Ackerman.
Autumn Sunset over the Marsh - Saxis Wildlife Management Area, VA (c) Jim Clark
Saxis Wildlife Management Area, VA (c) Jim Clark
Hammock Road at the Saxis Wildlife Management Area, VA (c) Jim Clark
Marsh Wen (c) Jim Clark
Diamondback Terrapin (c) Jim Clark
Skeleton Tree in marsh - Saxis Wildlife Management Area, VA (c) Jim Clark