South Carolina (1 Viewer)

[KC Foggin]

SOUTH CAROLINA BIRDING HOT SPOTS

CAPE ROMAIN

Cape Romain South Carolina, USA International Reserve.
Located in Awendaw, Charleston County, South Carolina

CHARLESTON BIRDING
Mild winters and a large variety of habitats,(beaches, barrier islands, tidal creeks, saltwater marsh, swamps, pine forests, hardwood bottoms & freshwater lakes & ponds) make the Charleston area a premier birding destination any time of the year.

FRANCIS BEIDLER FOREST IN FOUR HOLES SWAMP

A Wildlife Sanctuary of the National Audubon Society. Francis Beidler Forest is the largest virgin blackwater cypress-tupelo swamp forest left in the world! This 11,000-acre riverine sanctuary in the heart of Four Holes Swamp embraces 1,800 acres of ancient trees that tower over blackwater streams, clear pools and 300 species of wildlife.

HILTON POND

Hilton Pond Center for Piedmont Natural History near York, South Carolina, is a non-profit organization whose goal is to conserve plants, animals, birds, and other natural components of
the Piedmont Region of the eastern United States through observation and scientific study. The Center is the most active bird banding site in the Carolinas.

Additional Sites:
Black River Swamp Preserve
Francis Beidler Forest
Peachtree Rock Preserve
Waccamaw River Preserve
Red Bluff Marsh Preserve
Cliffs at Glassy Preserve
Huntington Beach
Myrtle Beach State Park
Brookgreen Gardens
Savannah River National Wildlife Refuge
Cypress Gardens
Congaree Swamp National Monument
Tybee National Wildlife Refuge
Francis Marion National Forest

 

[dennis]

Huntington Beach State Park is #1 with me. When I visit Myrtle Beach it is a MUST!

dennis

 

[Charles Harper]

Great start, KC-- makes me homesick, though I don't know a couple of the spots. What about Francis Marion N.F. for Red-cockaded Woodpeckers?

 

[KC Foggin]

I agree Dennis, Huntington Beach is probably my stand out on this list but that is because it is close to me.

Charles, I'm smacking myself on the head for leaving Francis Marion National Forest off the list and will edit it. *I'm whispering now* I recently received a printout from a friend in DNR that spotlights the Red-cockaded Woodpecker's recent sightings in that area. Soon as I can get a couple of days off, I am going to rent a motel room and spend a couple of days in that area.

 

[HelenB]

K C
May I contact you when we get around to planning a trip over to visit our son's in-laws, near Charleston? Haven't got any dates sorted out yet, but it looks like you have some great birding hotspots in SC.

Thanks

 

[KC Foggin]

You sure can Helen.

 

[NCLady]

KC: Last month I visited Magnolia Gardens and their Audubon Swamp Garden in Charleston. Some good birding there.

 

[KC Foggin]

I have been to neither but it's good to know. Have you been to the Caw Caw Walk when you were in Charleston. I'm hearing some really good thinkgs about that area.

 

[KC Foggin]

STATE BIRD - CAROLINA WREN

 

[Charles Harper]

Great shot, and great idea, KC, posting the State Bird. Where in heck's Caw Caw Walk?-- I worked in Charleston for a year, but never heard of it! Sounds like it's got lots of deerflies and mosquitoes, though.

 

[KC Foggin]

Hey Charles. When I first heard of it I must admit that I was thinking along the same lines as you so I did a little research and here is a section of that research which I am copying and pasting.

This 654-acre site located within the Caw Caw Swamp is just 25 minutes from downtown Charleston, Summerville and Walterboro. The Center, rich in natural, cultural & historical resources, is comprised of several former rice plantations that operated during the 18th and most of the 19th century. Here & throughout the South Carolina Lowcountry enslaved Africans & African Americans were forced to apply their West & Central African agricultural experience, technology, & skills to rice cultivation. Out of vast, Lowcountry swamps these men, women & children successfully converted thousands of acres to rice fields. Still evident today are the earthen dikes, water control structures called rice trunks, & canals-all fruits of their slave labor.

Today, Interpretive Center staff manage the former rice fields & adjacent areas at the center as a wildlife sanctuary for over 350 species of plants & 11 major plant communities. These plant communities include fresh, brackish & salt water marshes; cypress-tupelo swamp; & maritime, bottomland & beech-holly forests. These diverse communities provide habitat for over 200 species of birds, 30 species of mammals, 28 species of amphibians, 38 species of fish; & 52 species of reptiles. At Caw Caw visitors may witness bald eagles perched or soaring over the swamp; otters playing in canals, wild turkeys foraging in the forests, alligators sunning themselves, or dragonflies darting about the waterways.

I think I will have to make a trip to Charleston on the guise of visiting my dear daughter and then talking her into a day of exploring. Getting homesick yet?

 

[Charles Harper]

You're up late. Yeh, sure want to come back and take a look. On the way to Walterboro-- that's Hampton way too-- just do not remember the name at all. (Reminds me, I got my first Black Rail in the grassy median strip of the divided highway near Walterboro!) That's a great piece of text on the area, especially the historical section-- puts it all in perspective, doesn't it? I used to stop by Magnolia Plantantion sometimes, and any of those plantations make pretty good birding if you can afford the entrance fees.

Good birding,

 

[KC Foggin]

It, indeed, puts it all in persepective Charles.

I buy a State Park Pass every year and that solves that problem. They lose money on me.

Can you believe I have only one rail under my belt? That's the Clapper Rail. I hear them but I can never seem to find them. Last time I tried getting into the actually swampy area to find them, I had a hard time getting my boots out of the muck on the bottom. Quite a bit of suction there

 

[NCLady]

Caw Caw sounds really thrilling. Unfortunately time restrictions prevented me from visiting anywhere else, as my friend had to be on a plane for England the next day. She was more into gardening whilst I preferred the birding - so we compromised. However, on my next visit I intend to do much more. Maybe even be able to drag hubby along. Thanks for all the information. I'll hang on to it.

 

[Charles Harper]

Yep, rails are awful. Same problem here, I've only got two-- the common Water Rail is a pretty bold fellow, and easy enough to get on an overcast day, like Sora is; but although I've been to some of the southern islands here, I've missed everything except Ruddy Crake, the commonest of the lot... and I don't know the calls like I did in NA.

 

[KC Foggin]

Which brings me to another question that I keep meaning to ask you Charles. Is birding big in Japan? Are there CDs with bird song/calls of the birds in your part of Asia?

 

[Charles Harper]

Birding is BIG. Vast crowds of identically clad, identically equipped birders on the march at all major sites. Some excellent field guides, good birding mags, site guides-- all in Japanese. I use an excellent CD set with accompanying text of '333 Species', all but the rarest species, again in Japanese so I must go through the Latin index for the disc and track numbers. Up-to-date English language material is almost non-existent. Hotline is VERY closed off to all but the inner circle, so there's no public source for rarities until weeks later. That's OK, at the cost of travel, I can't afford to twitch anyway.

Reg'ds,
Chas.

 

[KC Foggin]

Ouch. That sounds like it is almost more trouble then it is worth. I imagine it would become a bit daunting going back and forth between languages.

LOL, the picture that you describe of the birders sounds like stuff nightmares are made of.
Take care.

 

[tikey1949]

Great shot, and great idea, KC, posting the State Bird. Where in heck's Caw Caw Walk?-- I worked in Charleston for a year, but never heard of it! Sounds like it's got lots of deerflies and mosquitoes, though.

CHARLES, I LIVE IN CHAS. CAW CAW IS AN OLD RICE PLANTATION NEAR RAVENEL WHICH IS A COUNTY PARK W/O ALL THE KIDDIE STUFF.. THAT AND PITT ST BRIDGE IN MT PLEASANT ARE MY 2 FAVORITE SPOTS. CAW CAW HAS VIEWS THAT EVEN CHASTONIANS DONT EVER SEE. 1ST TIME I WENT THERE I SAW ANHINGA, MEADOWLARK, OSPREY, RUSTY BLACKBIRD, PHOEBE TO NAME A FEW. YOU CAN SEE WHY IT IS SO MAGNIFICENT.

 

[John Gibson2]

SOUTH CAROLINA BIRDING HOT SPOTS

CAPE ROMAIN

Cape Romain South Carolina, USA International Reserve.
Located in Awendaw, Charleston County, South Carolina

CHARLESTON BIRDING
Mild winters and a large variety of habitats,(beaches, barrier islands, tidal creeks, saltwater marsh, swamps, pine forests, hardwood bottoms & freshwater lakes & ponds) make the Charleston area a premier birding destination any time of the year.

FRANCIS BEIDLER FOREST IN FOUR HOLES SWAMP

A Wildlife Sanctuary of the National Audubon Society. Francis Beidler Forest is the largest virgin blackwater cypress-tupelo swamp forest left in the world! This 11,000-acre riverine sanctuary in the heart of Four Holes Swamp embraces 1,800 acres of ancient trees that tower over blackwater streams, clear pools and 300 species of wildlife.

HILTON POND

Hilton Pond Center for Piedmont Natural History near York, South Carolina, is a non-profit organization whose goal is to conserve plants, animals, birds, and other natural components of
the Piedmont Region of the eastern United States through observation and scientific study. The Center is the most active bird banding site in the Carolinas.

Additional Sites:
Black River Swamp Preserve
Francis Beidler Forest
Peachtree Rock Preserve
Waccamaw River Preserve
Red Bluff Marsh Preserve
Cliffs at Glassy Preserve
Huntington Beach
Myrtle Beach State Park
Brookgreen Gardens
Savannah River National Wildlife Refuge
Cypress Gardens
Congaree Swamp National Monument
Tybee National Wildlife Refuge
Francis Marion National Forest

Hi,
I'm visiting my son in Atlanta in April and am thinking of making a trip into SC for a few days enjoying the State and the wildlife, particularly the birds. We see the choice of possible locations being split between mountains and the coast, both of which have their attractions to us. Have you any specific suggestions, please?
John Gibson