2023 Bio Blitz with Peter Alden - Caw Caw County Park

Guest author and naturalist Peter Alden
sharing his insight deep in the swamp 

Lots of outdoor opportunities are offered in Ravenel at the Caw Caw County Park. A menagerie of woodland trails serve as a refreshing running destination, though canines are not allowed here. Many choose to move through Caw Caw at a slower pace and observe what nature has to offer in the form of swamps and impoundments. On February 4, master naturalists gathered at Caw Caw for a first ever Bio Blitz conducted by visiting author Peter Alden, where attendees take all day and scour the property to make note of plants, animals, insects, birds and all forms of life.

Raccoon track

Alden hails from Concord, Massachusetts and has penned several of the Audubon Field Guides, including the Southern States edition. It took a few years of conversations between Alden and park manager Kristina Wheeler for this outing to happen, and a rainy morning did nothing to dampen this group’s enthusiasm. In fact, one of the first sighting of the day was a small mud snake, likely due to the soft soil, allowing for this ground-dwelling snake to slither into sight. Every woodpecker knocking on a tree was identified, and Alden would often then launch into a story about a similar sighting from the past that had significance.

Coyote track

“It’s a joy to have Peter Alden here at Caw Caw with these like-minded folks,” said Wheeler. “The Bio Blitz celebrates the natural world, and can bring together folks with different specialties of identification which benefits the entire group.” While some of the woodland trails were almost under water, the boardwalks and impoundments were not affected. A highlight of the day was viewing an active bald eagle nest with two chics calling out for food. The muddy conditions allowed for the compare and contrast of animal tracks like raccoon versus coyote. 

Story published in the March issue of Edisto News

To view Field Trips from 2023 click on Yawkey Wildlife Center - Botany Bay WMA - Pinckney Island NWR - ACE Basin NWR Combahee Unit

To view Field Trips from 2022 click on Palmetto Buff Christmas Bird Count - Walterboro Wildlife Sanctuary - Bailey Mill Plantation - Niederhoff Seed Orchard - Hunting Island State Park - Botany Bay WMA - Nemours Wildlife Foundation - Cumberland Island - Harbor Island - Silver Bluff/Audubon - Phinizy Swamp - Oldfield Plantation - Dolphin Head Beach - Bear Island WMA - Widgeon Point Preserve - Port Royal Sound Foundation - Parris Island