- Ooh, it's stinky.

It's a nice smell though.

(upbeat music) I'm Hyatt Mamoun.

Oh my gosh, my boot is stuck.

And I'm a wildlife filmmaker who grew up here in the deep south.

And I'm passionate about sharing the fun and excitement of our natural world.

I found a little little friend, look at the tiny little hands.

In this final episode, I'm taking y'all with me to my favorite birding spot.

This is how you can tell it's related to a heron.

It's because it flies like in this shape like this.

(car revving) (birds chirping) Today is all about birds, birds, and more birds, as we explore an island that's famous for its birding.

And maybe we'll see some other critters along the way.

(upbeat music) Good morning, everyone.

I'm here on Pinckney Island in the marsh.

It's a little muddy, oh my gosh, my boot is stuck.

Behind me, there are at least two dozen American white ibises feeding, and the way they feed is really, really interesting.

They stick their curved bill in the water and move it around to bump into their prey.

And the second they bump into their prey, they attack.

They actually don't hunt with their eyes.

They hunt with just that feeling.

Pinckney Island is made up of marshes and ponds, and there are over 250 different species of birds here, everything from the great blue heron to our beautiful American white ibises.

Let's check it out.

(upbeat music) You're probably wondering why over 250 different bird species like this particular island.

(bird chirping) Well, with almost no human development and tons of different habitats like salt marsh, maritime forests, and freshwater ponds, Pinckney is just irresistible to all kinds of birds.

The cord grass, or spartina grass as you can see in the marsh right here, provides cover and excellent feeding grounds for all kinds of critters.

However, this nutrient-dense habitat does come with a pretty unique quality to it.

Ooh, it's stinky.

It's a nice smell though.

One acre of marsh can make up to 10 tons of organic matter every year.

That's why it's stinky.

This fragrant habitat that's chock full of diverse life needs someone to clean up around here, and that's where nature's garbage men come in.

(upbeat music) Turkey vultures help clean the environment by eating the flesh off of dead animals before it rots and causes disease.

And that's why they're bald.

The lack of feathers on their heads make it easier for them to push into the interior of the carcass.

That is so gnarly, and so cool.

It's midday now and the heat is intense, and the animals have hunkered down in the shade.

So I figured I'd take this time to move to a different part of the island, and I do not egret it.

(gentle music) We're here at a pond on Pinckney Island, and there are a bunch of snowy egrets here sitting on the branches.

Snowy egrets are incredibly interesting birds because they actually are herons.

All egrets are herons, but not all herons are egrets.

(birds cawing) Ooh!

They're currently fighting, fighting right here.

That's the sound that you hear.

These birds are very, very noisy, which I can relate.

(Hyatt imitating bird) Wonk.

(laughs) (bird calling) A really interesting fact about these birds is how they hunt.

You can see it happening here on the sticks.

They perch themselves right on top, and they stare looking for their prey, tilting their head left and right, calculating in the refraction caused by the water.

And eventually once they figure that out, they strike with their incredibly sharp beaks.

They fly with their neck pulled back.

You'd think that since their neck is incredibly long, that they would fly with it outstretched.

But this is how you can tell it's a heron, it's because it pulls it back and flies like in this shape like this.

Right as our day is coming to a close, I've got a little surprise to show y'all.

Walking down the path, I found a little little friend.

Check him out.

This is a ground snake, and they're usually found in piles of leaves.

They use their long, skinny little bodies to wiggle through the leaves almost like they're swimming.

The American south is one of the most diverse places for reptiles and amphibians.

I'm gonna put him back.

Goodbye, friend.

I'm actually gonna put him down in here because it's probably safer because this was actually the direction that he was heading in.

So I'm gonna put him, help him out a little bit.

Goodbye, pal.

Go ahead.

That was awesome.

(upbeat music) (birds chirping) The Lowcountry is full of magic.

(gentle music) On this wild adventure of ours, we've seen that life here is hearty and complex, and is absolutely thriving in the brackish water.

This unique corner of the south will always hold my fascination.

Spend just one hour out here in the marsh, and you'll quickly come across incredibly diverse and charismatic wildlife.

Thanks for having me as your guide to the Lowcountry.

Good morning, everyone.

Oh man.

Yes, it's wonderful out here.

(bird chirping) Look at it.

It's huge.

Gross, right?

What an incredible find.

Well I gotta say goodbye for now, but I can tell you it will not be for long.

We've got so many more adventures to go on in this wild, wild south.

(car revving) (gentle music continues)