Five minutes near the marsh and I saw a painted bunting. Clearly. Not pretending I saw what others claimed with a squinty look up a tree, but right in front of me. Eye-level beautiful bird.

And I was in the living room of the Blue Heron Inn with a porch in between the bird and me. Now that’s a comfy kind of birding excursion.

I found my bird in the waters and squishy lands around Darien, Ga., in August, but since thousands of birds fly here each year, I’m confident special sightings happen for anyone, anytime.

“Look for a golf ball in a tree to find a bald eagle,” suggests U.S. Coast Guard Master Captain Sheryl Schooley.

If that doesn’t work for you, just wait for something else.

“Upwards of 120 uncommon plants and animals are in the Altamaha River watershed,” Schooley says, “and 55,000 shore and sea birds congregate on our fragile islands.”

She’s been taking nature lovers in her six-person boat along the Darien River toward the sea for two years, and through waters in the Golden Isles since 1988.

Other routes feature her favorite grasses and creatures too, departing from Cathead Creek Dock where the shrimp boats anchor. She also does a Peace Tour: “No talking, just being, and lots of photography,” Schooley says.

What time to go? I picked sunset but Schooley says “There’s so much to see at high tide, and so much different to see when the tide is low.”

Guess that says go more than once. Kayaking is an option too in Darien, renting with an outfitter to head into the marshes for the birds or simply to see grasses and the horizon, which stretches forever.

Sitting works, either in that living room at Blue Heron Inn where I saw the painted bunting, in bougainvillea-colored chairs on the dock or from the big porch off the third-floor bedroom.

It’s the kind of overnight spot to consider never coming back down the stairs: one room, one porch and no one else on that level. Ultimate privacy.

Maneuver steps; the bathroom is down a flight.

Darien offers additional enticements, however, and Blue Heron Inn proprietors Jan and Bill Chamberlain discuss ways to access them over morning breakfast overlooking the marsh, afternoon wine and cheese on the porch or straightforward e-mail in advance.

This is the gateway to Sapelo, Georgia’s fourth largest barrier island. For a half-day guided tour, reserve a spot in advance on the Department of Natural Resources ferry for $10; it runs on Wednesday and Saturday and holds 150 people.