2023 Whooping Crane Pond - Hilton Head Plantation

Welcome sign 

This 127-acre property is essentially a large and complex wetland that features walking trails and a superb boardwalk though the heart of the swamp. Located inside Hilton Head Plantation and maintained by the Hilton Head Land Trust, the name of the pond does not mean that Whooping Cranes are present, but other wading birds can be seen here. Wood ducks love the duckweed that drapes all across the water like a carpet of astroturf, and reptiles like alligators and turtles also adore this place. A hermit thrush sighting reminded me that woodland songbirds also live here, and a brave squirrel was spotted near the water level as it navigated fallen logs to access cypress trees. Blue flag iris flowers were in bloom all around the pond, and a lush color of green adorned all the vegetation here.

Mini Gator covered in Duckweed

Signage present states that Whooping Crane Pond is aligned with he present-day beach at Hilton Head, and is likely to have been front beach approximately 1 million years ago. In fact, many barrier islands in the Lowcountry feature ancient sand dune formations, with some of them holding water and wetlands between them. How deep is the water here? The football-shaped pond is shallow on the ends, ranging from 6 to 30-inches deep, and the center of the pond is up to 5-feet deep. 

Wood duck box in Swamp

To view past Field Trips from 2023 click on Jarvis Creek Park - Bio Blitz at Caw Caw -  Yawkey Wildlife Center - Botany Bay WMA - Pinckney Island NWR - ACE Basin NWR Combahee Unit

To view past 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