Carolina Safari Co.

09/03/2024

Have a look at these gorgeous girls. I first spotted this orange individual as I was going to place my hand on a rock to shift in the current. As I signaled everyone over to come see, I took a second look and noticed the more camouflaged one just ahead of it. I love this safari because you never know when you'll be surprised!!

09/01/2024

I always look forward to Labor Day Weekend as it's a reason to sneak up to the mountains, escape the heat, and go snorkeling with Hellbenders! We had a great group of Carolina Safari travelers who had only seen Hellbenders at the local zoo. We were lucky to see a big, not so photogenic, male and then came upon a pair of females just hanging out in the current. Breeding season is here and I bet this pretty lady will find our Denmaster just up stream soon enough.

08/30/2024

This time tomorrow, we'll be in the rivers of the Blue Ridge Mountains looking for an animal that's been on this planet for 65 million years. Excited is an understatement!!

08/26/2024

In less than a week, we'll be up in the Blue Ridge trying to chase down North America's largest salamander, the Hellbender! Males this time of year will be competing for den sites to attract a lady friend to breed with. Sometimes males will find a hole only to find a larger male already occupying it!

08/11/2024

We just had a last minute cancellation for tomorrow night's Purple Martin Cruise for 2! If you're looking for a last minute adventure, this is your opportunity!! Head over to the link carolinasafarico.com and get on board before we leave the dock tomorrow night!

08/02/2024

We had an amazing time watching Swallow-tailed Kites this past weekend, sadly my camera was getting some R&R at the Nikon spa. So to make up for the lack of photos, have a read about the conservation efforts being made to maintain and one day grow the national population of these magnificent birds!

Swallow-tailed kites have lost much of their habitat in the southeastern United States, but thanks to an unlikely ally, their numbers are beginning to climb.

07/11/2024

While patrolling a rocky stretch of river, I saw a bubble trail ahead of me and came upon this Variable Crayfish foraging the crevices. These are an indicator species meaning if you see a lot of them, the river's healthy. If you don't see much, you should probably get out of the water

07/10/2024

Last but certainly not least on my recent fish expedition on the Lower Saluda, I managed to get a good look at this Spotted Sucker. To be honest I couldn't tell what it really was, but they were pretty abundant in the river Sunday. These guys when they begin spawning will grow spikes on their face as a means to present themselves as the top dawg to the ladies.

07/09/2024

Now this was a surprise coming face to face with this massive Bowfin. These fish typically prefer warmer waters with less oxygen (think swamps), but sure enough this animal managed to make a home in the cool, moving waters of the Saluda River. I had originally snorkeled past its head and first saw its body sticking out from under a log, came around to see that beaten up mug, surfaced and immediately shouted "BOWFIN!!" The longest Bowfin ever caught was 34.3in and I'm betting this individual would give it a run for its money as it was as long as my entire arm.

07/03/2024

It's almost my favorite time of the year where Giant Salamanders run the rivers of the Blue Ridge Mountains. There's still space available on my upcoming Hellbender Snorkeling trip on 8/31. Go ahead and grab your spot today and try to find the Denmaster Hellbender in the photo.
www.carolinasafarico.com

06/28/2024

In about a month's time, the top guns of the sky will be taking flight along the Savannah River watershed. Swallow-tailed Kites are some of the most elegant birds you'll ever see as they float in the air only to take a quick dive and sn**ch an insect flawlessly. We still have some space on our Swallow-tailed Kite Flight and it would be my pleasure to guide you!
www.carolinasafarico.com

06/25/2024

Get a load of this bottom tooth of an ancient Great White!! This was our tooth of the day Saturday, and it was a tough hunt. Part of our trek to the fossil beds involved traversing mud cliffs, yes you read that right, while also getting battered by the waves. The winds from the north were pushing hard on the beach that day making high tide even higher. We eventually got through and found plenty of treasure rewarding our hard-earned efforts.

06/24/2024

Here are a couple shots from our recent Moth Night safari. We were Light-trapping insects to see what all we had flying around our local community and we weren't disappointed!! The highlight was having this giant Grapevine Beetle land on our light trap. A fun night with many more to come!!

06/23/2024

This Brown Water Snake is putting off big Sunday Vibes...

06/21/2024

It's been a busy couple of weeks, but we managed to get some local safaris last week. We were at the Columbia Canal where mother deer bring their fawns because the river islands are refuge for the deer from predators and because of the heavy human traffic, they're fairly acclimated to our presence. It's always a pleasure to see where people & nature coexist.

06/18/2024

"Hey Guys, who wants a Sand DOOOOHHH MY GOD!!!!"

That was my reaction after discovering this walloping 2.5in Angustidens tooth. We'll be back out at Morris Island this Saturday, 6/22, with a couple spots left and better yet, I've dropped my price from $175 to $100. We'd for you to join us!!

06/18/2024

"Hey Guys, who wants a Sand DOOOOHHH MY GOD!!!!"

That was my reaction after discovering this walloping 2.5in Angustidens tooth. We'll be back out at Morris Island this Saturday, 6/22, with a couple spots left and better yet, I've dropped my price from $175 to $100. We'd love for you to join us!!

06/14/2024

Check out Captain Zach featured here in the 4 All Things Lexington Podcast!!

06/04/2024

A Mississippi Kite soars across a cloudy backdrop. I love getting to see these birds in numbers when they flock to the confluence of the Congaree River when the Mayflies begin emerging.

06/03/2024

This Yellow-crowned Night Heron definitely has a case of the Mondays. You would too if you were up all night catching crayfish!

05/26/2024

Last weekend we had an amazing trip to Tatanka Bison Ranch. It's calving season and I jokingly thought to myself the week leading up to our trip, "What if we get to see a bison calf born while we're out there?" Funny enough, as we're riding along in the Tatanka Bison Buggy, I see Tatanka ranch owner, Fred, turn back to us and shout "There's a bison female with a newborn calf!" over the roar of his tractor engine. This animal had to have been 30min old, probably born while we were touring different parts of the ranch before we met the herd. It was still wet and wobbly standing up. To say the least, I've never had a bad time at Tatanka!!

05/22/2024

My favorite part of Cypress Wetlands was getting up close & personal with Wood Storks!! These birds are dinosaurs and have adapted well to urban living in this corner of the state.

05/21/2024

Bath Time for this Snowy Egret.

05/20/2024

That Green Heron isn't standing on a rock...
Another fun encounter we had at Cypress Wetlands just over a month ago.

05/12/2024

Happy Mother's Day from Carolina Safari Co.!!

04/29/2024

The Red Dogs are dropping at Tatanka Bison Ranch!! We can't wait to see them in just a few short weeks!

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03/27/2024

Had the pleasure to speak with 8th graders at Meadow Glenn Middle School a few weeks ago about a career in wildlife photography & tourism and tonight their classes are presenting on the different speakers. A very wholesome feeling to say the least.

03/26/2024

On our scouting trip on Lake Murray, we managed to get a rare treat of a bird that's normally found on the West Coast, a Pacific Loon!! Odds are this bird took the wrong turn on its Southern Migration and spent the winter on the Atlantic. Now that it's warming up, it'll head to its Summer Grounds on the Hudson Bay.

03/24/2024

Sadly the weatherman let us down yesterday with a bad forecast, but .zachsteinhauser managed to get some scouting in and it did not disappoint! The Common Loons are getting ready to migrate and they're coming into their breeding colors making them look dapper as ever. Have a look at this individual surfacing after a dive.

03/21/2024

THEY'RE BACK!! We love visiting Beidler Forest to see the ever charismatic Carolina Swamp Canary. We still have some space available and would love for you to join us on April 26!! Register today at https://www.carolinasafarico.com/beidler