Hot and Dry weather will be the hallmark of the summer of 2024, with one splash of Tropical Storm Debby mixed in. Above normal heat index nearly every afternoon kept the birding activity subdues, except perhaps for duck, dawn and peak feeding times. A lack of hummingbirds is my biggest observation for July / August, and that was not everywhere, but in some areas the hummers simply left for a while, and then returned in late August on the wings of Fall migration. American redstarts are a reliable early migrant and they began showing up by the end of August too, with some red-eyed vireo's mixed in.
Birding for wading birds was a bit less dramatic this summer with what seemed like a down year for roseate spoonbills, although sighting frequencies picked up by the end of August. I personally saw a Reddish Egret at Seabrook Island, which was a Life Bird for this Lowcountry native. Beach birders were reporting lots of shorebirds on the coastline including red knots and marbled godwits. In other news, Deveaux Bank was designated as the 50th site in the Western Hemisphere Shorebird Reserve Network or WHSRN, where a concentration of whimbrels was reported by Felicia Sanders.
To view the most recent Birding Journal Observations click on May / June 2024.
To view past Birding Journal Observations from July / August click on 2023 - 2022 - 2021- 2018- 2017- 2016 - 2015- 2014 - 2013 - 2012 - 2011 - 2009
