The warm temperatures on Saturday, February 7 gave the newly hatched Great Horned Owl a chance to show off and explore the nest with its parent. The owl looked like it was sitting right on top of the adult, and was looking around alertly as the day drew to a close in the late afternoon. Up until now, only the top of its downy gray head was visible. Check back to see more pictures of the owl as it grows.

The certified organic garden got its humble beginnings with prep work in late 2007 and early 2008, and it’s hard to believe how much has changed since then. Begun as a small project by former Naturalist Supervisor Jason Hunnicutt and former Kitchen Assistant Bonnie Denard, the garden has evolved to involve many more staff members and it has significantly increased production. We have learned many lessons along the way, and are very proud of the outcome. We hope that guests visiting the island will look at our example and be able to bring composting and organic gardening into their own homes and gardens.

The certified organic garden at LSSI is entering its second year, and we are growing by leaps and bounds. We continued to harvest our winter crops of kale, collards, salad greens, arugula, carrots, broccoli, radishes, herbs, and flowers for use in guest meals. We are continuing to grow greens, and we are also beginning to put in new crops of lettuces, snap peas, and fresh salad greens. As February continues and March comes forth, we will be starting seedlings for Spring production.

There are some new changes to the look of the garden as well. We have constructed 5 new raised beds, so we are doubling the production area. This required a massive transport of new compost brought over from the mainland. The cold temperatures of late encouraged us to also construct two cold houses to start seedlings in. We constructed a second three-bin system for composting kitchen scraps, in the hopes of producing even more soil.

Speaking of soil, our worms are producing excellent castings. We have coordinated a vermicompost workshop led by an expert in raising worms. The workshop will be held on Jekyll Island February 20, 2009. On February 21, he will come to LSSI to evaluate our worm systems and give us some pointers on how to expand our vermicompost systems.

The first Purple Martin scout of the year was spotted on Little St. Simons Island on the morning of February 4. The beautiful male bird was perched on the Purple Martin house located near the bulkhead in front of the lodge. He appeared to be cold, but his glossy purple-black feathers glistened in the sunshine.

Martins are in the family Hirundinidae, with other swallows. They feed primarily on insects caught in mid-air.