Zoroark Posted March 23 Share Posted March 23 Trip report: https://ebird.org/tripreport/106631 It seems like everyone is going to South Carolina this spring. 😛 My mother has some business to do at the end of this month into early April, so it's turned into an impromptu birding trip. She'll be there for a few months, so I would've preferred joining for the second half of April instead for the warbler migration, but at least the temperatures should be nice. My itinerary is the usual, containing as many of these as reasonable: Phinizy Swamp Santee NWR/SP Super-Sod of Orangeburg Barnwell State Park Francis Beidler Forest A visit to Charleston the first week of April (Spring Break is the second week)—likely Folly Beach and Caw Caw 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snake Fingers Posted March 23 Share Posted March 23 42 minutes ago, Zoroark said: It seems like everyone is going to South Carolina this spring. 😛 So true! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Birds are cool Posted March 23 Share Posted March 23 1 hour ago, Zoroark said: Trip report: https://ebird.org/tripreport/106631 It seems like everyone is going to South Carolina this spring. 😛 My mother has some business to do at the end of this month into early April, so it's turned into an impromptu birding trip. She'll be there for a few months, so I would've preferred joining for the second half of April instead for the warbler migration, but at least the temperatures should be nice. My itinerary is the usual, containing as many of these as reasonable: Phinizy Swamp Santee NWR/SP Super-Sod of Orangeburg Barnwell State Park Francis Beidler Forest A visit to Charleston the first week of April (Spring Break is the second week)—likely Folly Beach and Caw Caw Good luck! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snake Fingers Posted March 24 Share Posted March 24 Oh right, sorry. Best of luck! May many code five birds have a dance party on top of your head! 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charlie Spencer Posted March 24 Share Posted March 24 (edited) 13 hours ago, Zoroark said: It seems like everyone is going to South Carolina this spring. 'Bout time the rest of y'all discovered the birding paradise that is the Palmetto State. - As an alternative to Phinizy, Aiken-Augusta Aud has a walk April 1st in an adjoining hot spot. They're also doing Phinizy on April 15th, if you're still here. http://augustaaikenaudubon.org/?p=630. - Columbia Audubon has a walk scheduled for April 2nd. Harbison State Forest, on the north side of Columbia. www.columbiaaudubon.org - You might check recent lists for SuperSod. I'm not sure but the shorbs may have migrated through already. - No ACE Basin? 😞 Edited March 24 by Charlie Spencer 2 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zoroark Posted March 24 Author Share Posted March 24 2 hours ago, Charlie Spencer said: - As an alternative to Phinizy, Aiken-Augusta Aud has a walk April 1st in an adjoining hot spot. They're also doing Phinizy on April 15th, if you're still here. http://augustaaikenaudubon.org/?p=630. That's very convenient. I may actually do that walk on the 15th because I fly out of Augusta that evening. 2 hours ago, Charlie Spencer said: - No ACE Basin? 😞 A trip to ACE Basin or Bear Island WMA is possible, especially if we plan to visit Edisto Island. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Connor Cochrane Posted March 24 Share Posted March 24 17 hours ago, Zoroark said: It seems like everyone is going to South Carolina this spring. 😛 I'll be there in two weeks as well. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zoroark Posted March 31 Author Share Posted March 31 We arrived in @Birds are cool's home state yesterday and visited Phinizy Swamp. The water was quite high, so some sections of the path were underwater. Today, we had to pick up some groceries and other goods, so we went to Lake Edgar Brown before visiting the Walmart in Barnwell. We'll be staying with my mother's sister (my aunt) for the entire duration. Between the two hotspots and her yard, I've seen 13 FOYs. No lifers yet, but I'm not expecting any on this trip unless we specifically chase one. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charlie Spencer Posted March 31 Share Posted March 31 @Connor Cochrane, what parts of the state are you hitting? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zoroark Posted April 1 Author Share Posted April 1 First, we went to Francis Beidler Audubon Sanctuary. Prothonotary Warblers, Northern Parulas, Barred Owls, vireos, and woodpeckers made quite a chorus. I finally got a recording of that owl. Then, we stopped by Super-Sod in Orangeburg and saw a lifer Upland Sandpiper! I saw 8 additional FOYs. On 3/24/2023 at 11:21 AM, Zoroark said: A trip to ACE Basin I'm now planning to go here on Monday, but I'll share more details later. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Connor Cochrane Posted April 1 Share Posted April 1 15 hours ago, Charlie Spencer said: @Connor Cochrane, what parts of the state are you hitting? Basically just the I-85 corridor. I'm looking at colleges across the east coast. I'm flying into Atlanta and driving up to Philadelphia, then flying out to Chicago. I won't be spending much time in South Carolina. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charlie Spencer Posted April 1 Share Posted April 1 (edited) 5 hours ago, Connor Cochrane said: Basically just the I-85 corridor. I'm looking at colleges across the east coast. I'm flying into Atlanta and driving up to Philadelphia, then flying out to Chicago. I won't be spending much time in South Carolina. Good luck getting through / around Atlanta. For those who don't know, the airport is on the opposite side of town from the direction Conner is heading. Conestee Nature Preserve in Greenville is barely a mile off the interstate. It's might make a good first stopping point. https://ebird.org/hotspot/L355782 Decided on a major yet? Obviously that will play a big role in what school you choose. Edited April 1 by Charlie Spencer 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charlie Spencer Posted April 1 Share Posted April 1 On 3/24/2023 at 11:21 AM, Zoroark said: I may actually do that walk on the 15th because I fly out of Augusta that evening. I might see you! I haven't been to Phinizy in several months and have been looking for an excuse. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zoroark Posted April 1 Author Share Posted April 1 Afternoon thunderstorms presented a good opportunity to swing by Barnwell State Park for a couple hours. Nothing unusual, but I did get an FOY Eastern Towhee. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zoroark Posted April 6 Author Share Posted April 6 (edited) Monday through this morning, I spent some time with my father, who was passing through South Carolina on his great trip around the southern half of the US, then I went off on my own for today. In that time, I visited: ACE Basin National Wildlife Refuge Edisto Beach Botany Bay Plantation Santee State Park Santee National Wildlife Refuge (Cuddo and Bluff units) Givhans Ferry State Park Caw Caw Interpretive Center (I wish I knew there was a bird walk this morning at 8:30) I nabbed a lifer Black Scoter and finally got a photo of that tricky Ovenbird and Yellow-throated Vireo, and a total of 13 FOYs. The Swallow-tailed Kite continues to be a tease by only flying over when I'm driving, as did a very early Mississippi Kite. Other migrants like the Painted Bunting, Summer Tanager, and Ruby-throated Hummingbird have started showing up, so I expect more will be on their way soon. Great Egrets have begun nesting, and Anhingas are doing their courtship dances. On the reptile side, we enjoyed a Mud Turtle and Banded Water Snake at ACE Basin. Edited April 6 by Zoroark 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zoroark Posted April 6 Author Share Posted April 6 We spent a few hours at Barnwell State Park this morning and snagged a lifer Broad-winged Hawk (with photo and audio), and audio of a Blue-headed Vireo in my aunt's yard. Vireos are really tricky to actually photograph. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zoroark Posted April 7 Author Share Posted April 7 (edited) We visited Horne Wetlands at Edisto Memorial Gardens in Orangeburg and saw an FOY Black-and-white Warbler. Grackles, robins, wrens, and vireos were very active. Later in the day, that Swallow-tailed Kite teased me again. Edited April 7 by Zoroark 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charlie Spencer Posted April 8 Share Posted April 8 1 hour ago, Zoroark said: We visited Horne Wetlands at Edisto Memorial Gardens in Orangeburg and saw an FOY Black-and-white Warbler. Grackles, robins, wrens, and vireos were very active. How were the roses? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zoroark Posted April 8 Author Share Posted April 8 21 minutes ago, Charlie Spencer said: How were the roses? Only a handful of flowers were in bloom, which likely explains why almost nobody was there. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zoroark Posted April 9 Author Share Posted April 9 It rained all day yesterday and a bit this morning. We went to Barnwell State Park again this afternoon, and while I didn't get anything new, we did watch a Bald Eagle attack an Osprey. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zoroark Posted April 11 Author Share Posted April 11 We went to ACE Basin, which was the second time for me, and saw a lot of different birds, including FOY Bachman's Sparrows. I also got some better views of the Yellow-throated Warblers. 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zoroark Posted April 12 Author Share Posted April 12 We went to Caw Caw Interpretive Center (again the second time for me), and the temperatures were very nice. I got two FOYs, one of which triggered the rare bird alert (Hairy Woodpecker). I also snagged a poor photo of that dang kite. After lunch, we went to Wannamaker County Park to visit with family, and I walked the nature trails. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zoroark Posted April 12 Author Share Posted April 12 My mother had some stuff to do with my aunt, and she didn't have much interest in going to Columbia, so I headed up there for two stops. First, I went to the Congaree Creek segment of the Timmerman Trail and saw a lifer Swainson's Warbler (with audio and bad photo) and FOY Wood Thrush. Then I went to Gibson Pond Park (which I see @Charlie Spencer visits regularly) in search of a Black-throated Blue Warbler, but instead I heard another Swainson's Warbler and photographed another lifer: a Worm-eating Warbler! 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charlie Spencer Posted April 13 Share Posted April 13 11 hours ago, Zoroark said: I went to Gibson Pond Park The original dam was completely destroyed in the 2015 flood (Tropical Storm Joachim). The park was closed most of 2021-22 while it was rebuilt, and reopened last summer. Rebuilding of the next dam downstream should be complete later this year. The restored pond will be the center of a new park. Those three domestics have been hanging around for several months. The Worm-eating has been popular the last couple of weeks. Congrats on the lifers! 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zoroark Posted April 14 Author Share Posted April 14 (edited) Today, we went (second time for me) to Santee State Park and the Cuddo unit of Santee NWR. Unlike the time before with my father, the area around the visitor center of the state park was fairly quiet. We heard an FOY Prairie Warbler singing at the refuge and watched several species of gulls chase an Osprey for its lunch. I have a few comments to add that have come to mind: Certain counts make it clear that the migration is in full swing. I had no Great Crested Flycatchers until April 3, and today I had 16 of them. The Summer Tanagers and Orchard Orioles have also started singing. From my totals, it may appear I've seen more Black Vultures than Turkey, but I haven't reported the hundreds of TUVUs I've seen while driving between destinations. Blue Jays, Tufted Titmice, and White-eyed Vireos are tricky when it comes to birding by sound with their surprising range of vocalizations. Tomorrow, I need to help my mother with some stuff, and I'm likely going to the bird walk at Phinizy on Saturday. Edited April 14 by Zoroark 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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