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Congaree Bluff HP, Calhoun Co,, SC



Today (11 Aug 2001) I spent a couple of hours in the early afternoon at the
new Congaree Bluff Heritage Bluff, near Fort Motte, Calhoun County, SC. This
is a new heritage preserve protecting about 200 acres along the high bluff
of the Congaree River, across the river from Congaree Swamp National
Monument.

Good news -- this place is wonderful! The hilltop part of the preserve is a
rather ordinary pine plantation with weedy fields. But the bluff itself is a
magical place. There are two lookouts some 140 feet above the floodplain of
the Congaree River. From these vantage points you can look out to the north
for at least 15 miles in some directions. The view encompasses about 120
degrees of arc. I have only visited a couple of other sites in the
southeastern Coastal Plain which are anywhere near as dramatic -- Torreya
State Park on the Apalachicola River in Florida and the loess bluffs
overlooking the Mississippi River at Vicksburg, MS.

Preliminary surveys have found about 200 species of woody plants on this
preserve, a very high diversity. The area is great for butterflies and
dragonflies, which I will not even attempt to identify. I mostly know the
birds, but the non-feathered fliers are still mostly new for me.

I did find a few birds, which is amazing. The conditions today were
terrible. The temperature was about 98 F., with a heat index of close to 110
F. I spend most of my time sitting quietly in the shade, waiting for the
birds to come by.

Congaree Bluff may finally fulfill a decade long quest of mine -- to find a
reasonable hawk watch on public land fairly close to Columbia. The site is
about 40 miles from downtown Columbia, or about 25 miles by road from the
visitors' center at Congaree Swamp National Monument. I challenge South
Carolina hawk watchers to help me establish a hawk watch at the wonderful
site.

Directions to Congaree Bluff Heritage Preserve ---

Go to the intersection of US 601 and SC 419, between Saint Matthews and the
Congaree River. Here turn west onto SC 419 and follow this route into the
tiny village of Fort Motte. Set your odometer to zero as you cross the
railroad tracks in "downtown" Fort Motte.

Continue west on SC 419 for 1.0 mile. Here look for an unpaved road off to
the north (right). This is Turkey Track Road. Turn north onto Turkey Track
road, and follow this road north for 0.95 miles (1.95 miles from the
railroad tracks). Here turn sharply to the left (west) onto the entrance
road for the Heritage Preserve. Park near the white building. There is a
wooded observation deck just a few yards beyond the white building.


Here is my bird list for the preserve today:

Black Vulture -- 6
Turkey Vulture -- 12
Mississippi Kite -- 4
Yellow-billed Cuckoo -- 1
Chimney Swift -- 1
Ruby-throated Hummingbird -- 2
Red-headed Woodpecker -- 1
Red-bellied Woodpecker -- 4
Downy Woodpecker -- 1
Hairy Woodpecker -- 1
Pileated Woodpecker -- 1
Great Crested Flycatcher -- 2
White-eyed Vireo -- 6
Red-eyed Vireo -- 2
American Crow -- 4
Fish Crow -- 1
Carolina Chickadee -- 10
Tufted Titmouse -- 6
Carolina Wren -- 8
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher -- 1
Northern Parula -- 8
Hooded Warbler -- 4
Summer Tanager -- 2
Eastern Towhee -- 2
Northern Cardinal -- 12
Indigo Bunting -- 5
American Goldfinch -- 2

Robin Carter
Columbia, SC
rcarter@sc.rr.com