The Hammock Coast Birding Festival sponsored by the Georgetown Chamber of Commerce took place Feb. 8 - 11 in calm, cloudy and mild conditions. Noted botanist and birder Patrick McMillan came to speak to the attendees during a Friday night supper at Pawley's Plantation, and then he went into the field on Saturday at the Tom Yawkey Wildlife Center. SCDNR manager Jamie Dozier and SCDNR's Jim Lee greeted the 28 birders that would take a brief boat ride from the Belle Isle Landing over to Cat Island, before boarding two vans that would take them to red hot birding spots deep within the Santee Delta.
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| Shorebirds Buzz the Birders at Yawkey Feb. 10 |
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| Patrick McMillan educating Birders about Plants |
We spotted a flock of seven wild turkeys free ranging in an open field on the way to a stop at managed wetlands that was busy with migratory waterfowl, shorebirds, wading birds and raptors too. Dunlin and dowitchers buzzed around inside the open water areas, while the shorebirds patrolled the shallow muddy edges. The highest number of birds were waterfowl, with 1000 gadwall and widgeon using that far side of the main pond at this stop, and they were under continuous observation from bald eagles passing overhead, which made them pick up and fly around multiple times.
The second stop on this tour is the 'blackout' site, and the discussion about rice culture blossomed, while watching more waterfowl and looking for rails. SCDNR's Jim Lee knows the history of the Yawkey Center and provided details on the chimney that still stands today, while Patrick McMillan had a chance to pick a few local plants and educate others about what their botanical footprint means to the Lowcountry. McMillan told me that Spanish moss is quite possibly maintains its heaviest presence along the Georgia / South Carolina coastal plain, and that it simply exists on trees, and is not a hindrance in any way.
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