Naturally Kiawah Magazine Volume 35 | Page 58

Close Encounters of the Kiawah Kind W e choose to live or vacation on Kiawah for many reasons. Many of us are here because of its beauty and tranquility. Those of a more energetic sort enjoy the myriad of activities available. And of course, let us not forget Kiawah’s magnificent, unspoiled beach. The list goes on and on. But one thing that continues to enchant so many of us is our access to the Island’s incredible wildl ife. For this issue, our editors reached out to residents for insight into some of their encounters. Among others, we’d like to share the moments we found most interesting. Frank Baker: My interaction with birds is usually very brief, but over time I have learned to stop, be patient, and sometimes the birds will come to you. Hank and Laurel Greer (our good neighbors on Seabrook): We are fortunate to have a mother bobcat and her kittens in our backyard almost every year. Sometimes dad drops in to check on the family. This is a photo of him with one of the babies taken by my husband while dad was ‘“kitten-sitting.” 56 Morris Hanan: Having spent 30 winters in Chicago, our first winter on Kiawah was a special treat! One “cold” Kiawah morning I was fortunate to capture this shot. Linda Albus: Our daughter-in-law explained our family’s interaction better than I could have. She says we get just as excited over the 4,000th alligator sighting as we did the first sighting 32 years ago! Snake bite notwithstanding, we still marvel at the varied and beautiful examples around us. Naturally Kiawah