That is one of the smallest, most feathered manatees i’ve ever seen. 
Okay, this had better be the manatee.
http://picasaweb.google.com/marysharpe4/Lexington/photo?authkey=Vpgdm3QGFkY#5196559864218860738
ETA: This one does not have feathers.
Thank you for the compliments!
I took all of these photos on Bald Head Island, which is along the southern coast of North Carolina. The island has roughly the same type of vegetation as coastal South Carolina, with typical maritime forest species such as live oaks and yaupon holly as well as palm species such as palmettos and sabal palms. The area is especially abundant with various bird species, although several species of mammals have been introduced from the mainland, including red foxes. I was somewhat surprised to see the alligator there, since coastal N.C. is at the northern edge of the alligator’s range and there is not much fresh water on the island. The best thing about the island is that development is limited and there are large areas set aside as nature sanctuaries, and thus many opportunities to view all sorts of wildlife. It’s a great place!
Ack! I actually jumped in my chair. 
Good photos, but I don’t think those are crested terns (which are not found in the US). I suspect these birds are royal terns.
I barely got the shot, cause he put my camera lens into a death grip half a second later. Good times!
I was playing with my new camera on high-speed shutter modes, and I could never recreate these intentionally, but some fairly nifty hummingbird shots (click for closer views). If you’re more of a motion type, here’s video (give it a while to load, it’s 3.5 minutes of high-def QuickTime video).
From my weekend drive, two popular breeds along the California coast:
My “Wildlife” album.
My favorite: Blue Heron and Sunset
A couple of Plateau Spiny Lizards.
Yeah, I know the above all look sort of the same, but that’s Spiny Lizards for you.
A couple of Side-Blotched Lizards.
A couple of different Tachnid bee mimics.
A couple of Damselflies, an Emerald Spreadwing and a Canyon Rubyspot.
A couple of filthy rats, a Golden-Mantled Ground Squirrel and a Rock Squirrel.
A Tiger Beetle.
Burros! Yeah, they’re not wild, but who doesn’t love burros?
Special mystery pic! Find the critter and identify it for a big prize! http://i236.photobucket.com/albums/ff114/Timur_photo/IMG_0282.jpg
Edited to add: Oh, yeah and a White-Breasted Nuthatch
