One of the best parts of Edisto in the off season is that the animals that call this place home make themselves more apparent.

In the warmer months, it’s common to look out over the marsh and see snow white egrets and blue herons fishing. What’s common now is to see these birds walking around the marshes… and in the streets.

Just the other day while walking my dog I saw what I thought was a small child walking alongside of the road just a block away from the beach. But it wasn’t a child, it was a blue heron. He walked on Cupid Street before cutting through the yard under a beach house and then stood on the bank of the creek that runs behind Pompano Street. It disappeared then into the thick underbrush that lines the creek.

Blue herons are wading birds that are about four feet tall from the tips of their tails to the tops of their heads. They have blue markings on their heads which can extend down their beaks, but they often appear grey and blend into the shadows of the marsh making them difficult to see.

Like many people on Edisto, blue herons are fans of fish, shrimp, and crab, which they find all over the island. They also feast on insects, rodents, and other small creatures that live in or around the marshes. If you’re able to watch a blue heron while it hunts its prey, you’ll see that they often times pierce prey with their beaks and then swallow their meals whole.

Some of the best places to see these birds living their lives are in any of the marshland on the island, especially on the water’s edge. They also like to hang out at the marina and walk around the dock – some even take it upon themselves to hop onto the boats and take in a sunset before taking off over Big Bay Creek.