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Congaree Bluff, 10/26



                   
After too long an absence from the Bluff, I returned on Friday to a place
different and the same.  Rather than Indigo Buntings greeting me in the
parking area, there were Chipping Sparrows instead.  Rather than swifts and
swallows overhead, I had flyby American Robins and Cedar Waxwings.  There
was definitely a shift in the season of the birds.

Sometimes, even in volunteer work, I am overpaid for my efforts.  Friday was
one of those days.  List below.

Black Vulture - 63
Turkey Vulture - 36
Cooper's Hawk - 4
Sharp-shinned Hawk - 2
Northern Harrier - 1
Red-tailed Hawk - 1
Peregrine Falcon - 1
Unidentified Buteo - 3

Excellent visibility increases the number of birds counted and the number of
"unidenitifieds".  The three "unidentifieds" were little more than specks in
the scope, just enough shape to guess genus but not species.  Any day that
includes at least one accipiter an hour is a good day.  Any day that
includes a Peregrine Falcon in the Midlands of South Carolina has moved into
red letter day territory.

The Peregrine is overpayment for some long hot days early in the season and
some slow days more recently.  A Peregrine is certainly motivation enough to
make myself regular at the Bluff again!

Donna Slyce Bailey
Winnsboro, SC
e-mail: dsbailey@conterra.com
URL: http://www.conterra.com/dsbailey
     "Where are the Birds?  Migration across South Carolina"