A couple of years ago while visiting the Brunswick, Georgia, I discovered Jekyll Island. I had heard of Jekyll Island and its intriguing history, but was unfamiliar with its enchantment. Audra was in a conference so I was checking out the area. I decided to head south on GA-25/US-17/US-85, crossing the Turtle River on the iconic Sydney Lanier Bridge. Then driving the 6.5 miles across I found an incredible place!
Since that time, we have visited Jekyll Island three times and this would be our fifth visit in two years. Jekyll Island is truly an enchanted place.
Glass Globes of Jekyll
Every January and February there is a tradition on Jekyll Island. It dates back to the 1950’s. Beginning in the early 1900’s local fishermen would use glass globes as floating markers for their nets. Occasionally, these globes would break free and float ashore on the island. In the 1950’s, in the prime of Jekyll Island being an elite social haven, collecting these glass globes became the thing to do.
Fisherman no longer use these globes to mark their nets. In the spirit of the 1950’s, Beach Buddies hide globes in various places on the Island. They are put out daily for island-goers to seek and (try to) find. If you are lucky enough to find one of the replicas, you turn it in for a real glass globe. The glass globes are hand painted by different artists from around the country.
We looked, but were unsuccessful.
Horton Pond & Tupelo Trail (AM)
We started our first day on Jekyll at Horton Pond. We had been seeing a lot of photos on the Friends of Jekyll Island Facebook Page of the alligator that hangs out at Horton Pond. The first round we didn’t see any alligators on the wooden island, but a ton of turtles. The edge of the wooden island was packed with Yellow-Bellied Sliders.
There were a couple of smaller alligators swimming around but we didn’t see the big one of the pond. We could hear him the brush on the shoreline across from the observation deck.
There’s always a brave wood duck cruising around the pond as if there is no danger at all.
As we made our way around Horton Pond to Tupelo Trail, we spotted a couple of gators near the shoreline.
Horton Pond (AM)
Tupelo Trail
Jekyll Island Pier
The Jekyll Island Pier is a 280′ long pier on the northwest tip of the island. It offers fishing and some amazing views of the where the East, Brunswick, and Mackay Rivers converge into the St Simons Sound. You can see St Simons Island, too. With the placement of the pier and being accessible 24 hours a day, it provides some spectacular sunrises and sunsets alike.
It’s definitely worth your time to go check it out. If you like visiting with locals, there are almost always local fishermen (and women) on the pier. You can also take a trail ride through the trailers around the island.
Tortuga Jacks
After a busy morning in the field, we stopped at Tortuga Jacks for lunch and a refreshment. We split the chicken, steak, and shrimp fajitas. Very tasty. https://www.tortugajacks.com
Horton Pond (PM)
After lunch, we decided to stop at Horton Pond again to see if the gators were out. There were a could on the wooden island. One big and one small.
Eagle’s Nest
Another event that we had been following was the hatching of eaglets on Jekyll Island. We were hoping to get a glimpse of the parents caring for their little ones. The nest is far from any trails so disturbing them on the nest is pretty unlikely. You definitely need a good pair of binoculars to view them and a super telephoto if you want to try to snag any decent photos. We did not see the parents, but we thought we saw some little heads poking out but couldn’t confirm.
At this nest, there are two good viewing locations. One is from the north as you come in on the trailer from Stable Road, the other is from the east as you round the bend by the pond. The pond had a couple of alligators hanging out. The lighting wasn’t the greatest, but I was able to take several photos of them.
On this adventure we saw an Anhinga sitting on the branch of a submerged tree. He put on a good show for us as he was drying his feathers. Anhinga means devil (or snake) bird.
After our trail walks, we went back to the hotel to rest up for a while before our evening activities. Zachry’s Riverhouse for dinner, The Wharf for sunset drinks, then some astrophotography after dark.
Zachry’s Riverhouse
Astrophotography
Astrophotography is an interesting genre of photography. There is a completely different dynamic to getting the exposure right. The exposure time must be longer, but not too long. When you photograph in an area that has a lot of air (and space) traffic, you will get light trails. These light trails can (sometimes) create an interesting image
We went to the beach behind our hotel and hung out for a little while to see what we could capture. These are unedited exposures. Most are 18mm focal length, f/3.5, at 26-35 seconds. For my photographer friends, I am aware that some of these violate the 500 Rule. 😉 (500/focal length = exposure seconds)
Eagle’s Nest (Round 2)
Before we left Jekyll, we tried to catch glimpse of the eagles in their nest. When we got to the pond, the alligators had moved into the water. We also found a Great Cormorant in the creek behind the pond. Their eyes are a beautiful emerald green.
…no luck on the eagles again.
How interesting!
This makes me want to go to Jekyll Island!
Looks like u had a great time.
It is an incredible place. There is an FB page called Friends of Jekyll Island that is open to anyone. There are several local residents that post stuff as well as other people. It’s interesting to follow.