New Year's Eve Toast to 2023

Wood Duck hunt in 'Da Swamp 12/27/23

My 15th Annual Toast to following the outdoors trail, and bringing stories and photos to like-minded followers, will be much like as in the past. The weather does not stop outdoor activities as the calendar flips from January to December each year, but the pursuits dictated by hunting seasons can change, while fishing or birding are in-season all year long. I remain grateful to the publications that chose to work with this veteran writer to raise awareness about conservation and tales from the field in 2023, and stand ready for more of the same in 2024. 

Top Stories are Tall Ship Nao Trinidad - S.C. Hawk Watch, Kiawah Bird Banding - Wildflowers at Webb Center - Surf Fishing Clinics - 60th Coon Dog Day  - Beidler Birding By Ear - Horseshoe Crab Awareness - Bio Blitz at Caw Caw 

Trout Fishing on 12/1/23

To view past blog entries from my New Year's Eve Toast click on 2022 - 2021 - 2020- 2019- 2018- 2017- 2016 - 2015- 2014 - 2013 - 2012 - 2011 - 2010 - 2009 

2023 Palmetto Bluff - Audubon Christmas Bird Count

Anhinga over Duck Pond

The annual Christmas Bird Count at Palmetto Bluff took place on December 15 under very windy, but clear and cold conditions. The team assembles in pre-dawn darkness at the duck ponds to watch for waterfowl stirring at first light. A great-horned owl sounded off in the darkness several times, and a Wilson's Snipe made its kissy noise before 150 wood ducks lifted off for the horizon. Other waterfowl observations that followed included 45 green-winged teal, 10 blue-winged teal, 18 Buffleheads, 25 hooded mergansers, 5 Canada Geese, and 1 Northern Shoveler. 

Palmetto Bluff CBC Team hard at work

We went on to spot 3,114-individual birds encompassing 73-species of birds. This data is included in the Hilton Head Audubon circle. The data from the South Carolina 2021 CBC and the 2021 National CBC are both available now for Birders to review and enjoy. 

To view past CBC counts at Palmetto Bluff click on 2022 - 2021 

To view 2023 Birding Trips click Yawkey Center / Winter - Nemours Wildlife Foundation - Yawkey Center / Fall - Botany Bay WMA -  Fripp Island -  Wings Over Beaufort -  Sea Island Shorebird Festival - Beidler Forest - Harbor Island- Kiawah Island -  Webb Wildlife Center - Whooping Crane Pond - Jarvis Creek Park - Caw Caw Bio Blitz - Hammock Coast Birding Festival  -  Botany Bay WMA - Pinckney Island NWR -  ACE Basin NWR Combahee Unit 

Pair of Bald Eagles: one mature, one immature

Hermit Thrush near Barge Landing

2023 Tom Yawkey Wildlife Center - Winter Birding

Elusive Sora (click on pic for larger view)

The Birding Photography Tour on December 5 at the Tom Yawkey Wildlife Center enjoyed partially sunny skies and particularly good light for photos. Photogs from Hilton Head, Charleston and Myrtle Beach had traveled to Belle Isle landing to catch the ferry over to Cat Island for the day trip van tour. The open understory of the longleaf pinewoods makes for good viewing, but the woodland critters did not show themselves on this day. The first of many van stops overlooking waters of the Santee Delta is where we found waterfowl, wading birds and shorebirds a plenty. Other highlights include a Sora, a Bonaparte Gull and large flocks of migrating short-billed dowitchers.

Short-billed Dowitchers flocking

To view past blog enrtries from Yawkey Center click on 2023 Fall Birding -  2023 Formula For Success - 2023 Winter Photo Safari -  2018 Walk Through History - 2016 Birding Tour - 2015 Shorebirds with Manomet - 2015 Yawkey Legacy Story 

To view birding trips from 2023 click on  Nemours Wildlife Foundation - Yawkey Center / Fall - Botany Bay WMA -  Fripp Island -  Wings Over Beaufort -  Sea Island Shorebird Festival - Beidler Forest - Harbor Island- Kiawah Island -  Webb Wildlife Center - Whooping Crane Pond - Jarvis Creek Park - Caw Caw Bio Blitz - Hammock Coast Birding Festival  -  Botany Bay WMA - Pinckney Island NWR -  ACE Basin NWR 

Hawk patrolling the marsh

Coots (in foreground) and migratory waterfowl

2023 Waccamaw NWR - Hasty Point Plantation

Beautiful Hasty Point Plantation

Established on December 1, 1997 the Waccamaw National Wildlife Refuge is defined by the Great Pee Dee and the Waccamaw Rivers. These two rivers scoured out the alluvial flood plain forested wetlands and they create unique places such as Sandy Island, which is just one of the landmarks now protected by the Refuge system. Hasty Point Plantation and Carver's Bay, a black bear hot spot, have come into a wide portfolio of properties that is now the Waccamaw NWR. Even though this Refuge property is reserved for the wilder parts of nature, the water heading downstream is a source of drinking water for the Grand Strand region.

Great Pee Dee River at Welcome Center

While migratory waterfowl and songbirds are a primary focus of management here, game species abound including hogs, bear, deer and turkey. Public access hunting, especially for youth, is a hallmark of the Waccamaw NWR. In regards to Hasty Point plantation the USFWS stewardship efforts include maintenance of a historic Rice Barn, and this boat landing offers the easiest access to the managed impoundments on Sandy Island. During my visit on December 6 with biologist Craig Sasser, he related that thousands of wood ducks were seen roosting on the island the evening prior when USFWS were holding an end of day gathering. No tour of Hasty Point is complete without seeing lots of fox squirrels scurrying about the mature live oak allee.

Bear Taxidermy at Welcome Center

Refuge Boundaries

To view past blog entries from the Pee Dee region click on 2018 Waterfowl Workshop - 2014 SALTT Trail  - 2014 Warrior Tribute Duck Hunt - 2012 TNC acquires Carvers Bay - 2012 Duck Hunt 

2023 American Striped Bass Challenge - Santee Cooper Country

Team Blazer Boys claim First Place

The second Striped Bass Challenge at Santee was fished on December 2. Thirty-three teams went onto the Santee Cooper Country Lakes in search of Striper during a foggy, cool and windless day. A forecast for heavy rain did not materialize and teams were able to fish hard all day. The Drive-thru weigh-in at Santee State Park begins at 3 where the SCDNR freshwater tank trucks are awaiting to receive the striped bass. The tournament fish are weighed in alive, with teams weighing in two fish each, and then they are to be released back into the lake by SCDNR. 

Team Laid Back waiting on a Striper to Bite

Team Blazer Boys won first place with a two-fish aggregate weight of 29.9-pounds, good for the First Place prize of $14,150-dollars. Angler Dusty Pearson helped this team by weighing in a 20.7-pound striper that also won for heaviest fish of the day. His father Rocky Pearson and crew member Jason Brock came from Edgefield to fish the Santee tourney. The Top Ten places were awarded a prize, and so were the best youth angler and best lady angler. In addition to tourney prizes, a $6000 donation was made to Christian Adoption Services as a way to give back to the community.

Damon Melcho weighs in his Stripers

Santee State Park Ranger, Santee Cooper
Country Rep Jane Powell, and DNR staffers

To view past blog entries from Santee Cooper click on 2023 Crappie Camp - 2022 Crappie Camp - 2016 Duck Hunt TV Show - 2011 SCWA Duck Hunt - 2011 Gator Hunt - 2010 Duck Hunt - 2009 Duck Hunt

2023 Tall Ship - Spain's Nao Trinidad

Aft View in windy conditions

Nao Trinidad in Georgetown on 12/6/23

The full size replica of the Nao Trinidad was built in 2018. Nao Trinidad was one of the five ships under Magellan's command when the first circumnavigation of the world was completed in 1522, and the replica has been sailing to ports of call since 2022 to celebrate the 500th Anniversary of the historic feat. Visitors are welcome to board the Nao Trinidad at ports of call, like I did in Georgetown, S.C. and she is also a floating maritime museum with a Spanish accent. She weighs 200 tons, is 95-feet in length and is 26-feet wide with 5 decks, 4 masts and 5 sails. Her full-time crew serve as hosts when in port, and they love sailing this wooden ship from Europe to visit North America, where the mere sight of her raises awareness about nautical history.

Rigging looking up to Lookout

Historical Maritime Tools

While aboard, I learned that the Nao designates a type of ship, which was the most advanced Tall Ship of its time. Its design was the result of evolution of Spanish ship building in order to improve their characteristics like greater load capacity with minimum draught depths often required for exploring unknown channels. The replica Nao has called on the Caribbean, Mexico, the East Coast and the Great Lakes thus far on her journey. The fact that it is the Holidays was not lost on the crew and I saw a fully decorated Christmas tree and heard wishes of Feliz Navidad.

To view past blog entries from wooden boats click EOS - Windy - Grace- Aphrodite - Osprey - Annalee - Hinckley

To view past blog entries on Tall Ships click 2012 Savannah Challenge -  2009 Charleston HarborFest - Spirit of Carolina