Capturing Kiawah on Film

I’ve spent several hundred days a year for the past five years following and documenting the wildlife patterns on the island and I still see something new nearly everyday.  I'll periodically share my photography and findings with you.

Summer’s arrival brings a myriad of photographic opportunities on Kiawah for the wildlife enthusiast, and as the grasses green up and the temperature rises the opportunities increase. 

Early morning low tides create ideal conditions for Lowcountry dolphins to strand feed. Find an individual or pod of dolphins exhibiting this localized behavior, and you can often count on them to repeat it during similar tides.

On the other end of the tidal range, redfish (a.k.a. red drum, spot-tail bass) follow the rising tide into the flooded spartina grass to chase bait fish and shrimp and suck fiddler crabs from their burrows. As they root around in the mud for their prey, their tails wave above the water, giving away their position to the wary angler or photographer.

Heavy summer thunderstorms can change the temperature of Kiawah’s ponds so rapidly that turnover occurs, depleting the oxygen supply and killing or stunning large amounts of fish. It is easy to spot the results of these events as the pond will turn white with egrets and Wood Storks and the sky will be filled with gulls and terns looking for easy meals. Nearly every species of fish eating bird or animal can be seen at a big fish kill.

Stay tuned for more nature and wildlife photography.

Jason Stemple

Jason Stemple is the photographer for Kiawah Island Real Estate. His work can be found in all of KIRE’s offices, clubhouses, and marketing materials including Legends Magazine.