2023 Webb Wildlife Center - Spring Birding

Prothonotary Warbler on March 28 near Bluff Lake,
and Blue-gray Gnatcatcher below.

The Fripp Island Audubon Club made a field trip to the SCDNR Webb Wildlife Center in hopes of seeing neotropical migratory songbirds and red-cocked woodpeckers. Technician Cathryn Bland met the birders on the Oak Avenue entrance and we proceeded to a Red-cockaded woodpecker nest cavity tree, where she deployed a peeper-pole with video camera for us to look inside the nest. No nesting activity yet for these RCW's but they did make a brief appearance, including some vocalizing, which allowed everyone to get a look at these small and mostly-black woodpeckers. We were standing in longleaf pine habitat, and the SCDNR use of prescribed fire was evident, with blackened ground cover and smoldering stumps over a patchwork of acreage.

Ibis feeding in swamp near Bluff Lake

After stopping at the Office to carpool in three SCDNR trucks to the back of the property, closer to the Savannah River, we soon arrived at the oxbow named Bluff Lake. We took a walking trail into the hardwood bottomland habitat and saw a flock of Ibis feeding in the water, with some great egrets mixed in. Then birders glimpsed the yellow flash of the prothonotary warbler and everyone looked through branches and leaves to identify at least two of them. (Beidler Forest reported the first arriving prothonotary warblers on March 26.) Other songbirds were all around, but since they like to stay in the tops of the tall trees, getting ID's on all of them can be tough. Other trip highlights included wood stork at the Upper Lake, and wild turkeys in strut and gobbling for all to hear.

Group at Lewis Rogers observation deck

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

Wood Stork taking flight near Upper Lake 

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  

Wild Turkeys on Turkey Road

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  

2023 Jarvis Creek Park - Master Naturalist Birding

Landmark Live Oak by Liggett Lake

My first visit to the 53-acre Jarvis Creek Park came on March 24 with the Lowcountry Master Naturalist bird walk led by Jenn Clementori. I was pleased to find that the City of Hilton Head owned the park and preserved the land, essentially what surrounds a large body of water named Liggett Lake. A very special live oak sitting on a peninsula that juts into the lake is where our birding walk began. I noticed a handsome male bluebird hovering by the trunk of the live oak tree, and after raising my optics for a closer look, I spotted a rat snake high in the tree presumably hunting for bird nests. We saw other birds appear to fly by the snake and issue a verbal warning to all the other birds that a predator was present.

Great Blue Heron using natural camo

Our walk around the lake hardly started when a green heron and a great blue heron were observed. An osprey perched high in a pine tree with a fish was our first raptor. Pied-billed grebes and gallinules in the lake grabbed our attention, and yellow-rump warblers teemed along the woodline. Several alligators could be seen sunning, along with some yellow-bellied slider turtles. An anhinga was sunning his wings nearby too. Cardinal, titmouse, blue jay and other common birds were spotted, but the most active birds were the blue-grey gnatcatchers we saw. The grand finale came when an immature bald eagle soared above, which drew an attack from an osprey, which excited a crow to come join in the chase. Lots of action!

Rat Snake in Oak Tree

To view Field Trips from 2023 click on Bio Blitz at Caw Caw -  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  

2023 Battle of Broxton Bridge - Civil War Reenactment

Reenactors educate about muskets and horses

The 158th anniversary of the Battle for Broxton Bridge began on Friday March 3 with a day of Living History, an effort to educate school kids from nearby schools. Multiple busloads of kids arrive by 9 a.m. and the reenactors are in place at various stations to demonstrate battle skills such as sword play, firearm loading and discharging, the the always popular artillery firing with loud booms!

The actual battle reenactment is held both Saturday and Sunday, and it draws reenactors from multiple states, as well as S.C. units. The Yankees are well represented, and each side takes care to wear authentic clothing and to utilize historical equipment during the three-day encampment. The original earthworks from the Civil War, and the sheer size of the bluff overlooking the Salkehatchie River Swamp, make this a dream destination for reenactors.

 

Confederate Encampment 

To view past blog entries from Battle of Broxton Bridge click on 2022 - 2019- 2016 - 2015 Preview - 2015 Living History Day - 2015 Reenactment Photos - 2009

Students at Living History day

2023 Birding Journal Observations - January / February

Tundra swans and shorebirds at Bear Island on Jan. 28

Dry weather in the Fall gave way to a wet January and February, and besides one serious cold snap, a fairly mild winter embraced the Lowcountry. Goldfinches were few and far between, but pine warblers were seen in good numbers. Brown-headed nuthatches continue a regular presence on the landscape, and robins were seen in strong numbers. Yellow-rumped warblers and red-winged balckbirds were likely the most common birds sighted this winter. Waterfowl migration was pretty average, with ringnecks still showing up in surprising numbers. Some woodcock were reported in places, and lots of raptors were seen.

Kingfisher at Yawkey Wildlife Center on Feb. 7

To view the most recent Birding Journal Observations click on November / December 2022 

To view past Birding Journal Observations for January / February click on 2022 - 2021- 2017 -  2016- 2015- 2014 - 2013 - 2012 - 2011 - 2010 - 2009