Lowcountry outdoors: 2021 Nemours Wildlife Foundation

Tuesday, November 23, 2021

2021 Nemours Wildlife Foundation - Fall Birding Trip

Black-necked stilt

With the fall foliage in the Lowcountry awash in the hues of red and yellow (and green), the cloudy weather day resulted in good birding for the group led by master naturalist Chris Marsh. Bald eagle migration has been in motion since early November, and mature eagles return to territory and nests that they revisit for years. They must defend against other mature bald eagles, and they also must vanquish immature bald eagles just trying to hang around. Not long after we hopped on the wagon for a ride through the Nemours Wildlife Foundation property, a pair of mature bald eagles cleared a tree line, and then locked talons and committed to a downward spiral the ended when they reached a grove of pine trees, causing the birds to separate. It was a National Geographic moment that happened so fast, it was not captured on film, but will be the stuff of lore for the birders present on this day.

Common gallinule and American alligator

Caspain tern

As we continued to witness bald eagles all day long, including an up close look at an active bald eagle nest, many other species of birds were more photogenic. Visiting an impoundment near the Combahee River we could see migratory blue-winged teal in the distance, which is a sure sign of waterfall migration. At an inland impoundment we saw a mixed bag of wading birds and marsh birds. A Caspian tern was diving into the water and feeding on small fish in a deeper section of water. Shallow water turned up a pair of black-necked stilts, which usually migrate South to a more tropical zone, but with the delay of cooler weather they have not departed yet. And a pair of common gallinules were walking the marsh, careful not to disturb resting alligators.