Lowcountry outdoors: 2022 Audubon Silver Bluff

Tuesday, April 26, 2022

2022 Audubon Silver Bluff - Spring Birding

Common yellowthroat lifting off

The Fripp Island Audubon Club traveled to Aiken to visit the Silver Bluff property on Friday, April 22. The National Audubon Society owns and manages the property for an array of bird life. The Bluff refers to high ground along the Savannah River, and they own 2.3-miles of river frontage. But much of the property is upland pines managed with controlled burns to create habitat that suits neotropical migratory songbirds such as Indigo bunting and Summer tanager. A separate unit at Silver Bluff involves impoundments that are seasonally flooded and then drained in order to attract and nourish wood storks in August and shorebirds in Fall.

Silver Bluff is located near Aiken, S.C.

Our group was fortunate to have Silver Bluff Director Brandon Hietkamp show us around, plus Audubon's Director of Land Conservation Tim Evans joined us. These two can identify birds like the rare Bachman's sparrow 'by ear' and can actually count the number of them they hear, even without a visual ID. Our visit to a large open field adjacent to the Bluff included sightings of Common yellowthroat, Orchard Oriole, Blue grosbeak and bluebirds. Timber thinning operations keeps the piney woods from getting too thick, and serve to open up the mid-story of the forest, which songbirds appreciate. The open woods make for easy hiking, and it was good to see other birders enjoying the property during our visit, and no doubt making plans for a return visit to explore more of the acreage. Silver Bluff is under an easement with Lowcountry Land Trust.

To view past blog entries about recent field trips click on 2022 Phinizy Swamp - 2022 Oldfield Outfitters - 2022 Dolphin Head Beach - 2022 Bear Island WMA - 2022 Widgeon Point - 2022 Port Royal Sound Foundation / Nature Trail - 2022 Parris Island Birding