Re: Congaree Swamp report

[" Shahid's" <shahidrad@home.com>]

At Beidler Forest (in Four Holes Swamp in SC) there have been at least 2
different woodcocks spotted near the boardwalk in the last week on several
occasions.  We have also had a good showing of winter wrens.  Also extremely
dry.

Ann Shahid
Charleston, SC
----- Original Message -----
From: "Jerrold Griggs" <griggs@math.sc.edu>
To: <carolinabirds@duke.edu>
Sent: Tuesday, November 13, 2001 4:17 PM
Subject: Congaree Swamp report


>
> This is a rambling report of some birding highlights from two trips along
> the boardwalk trail at Congaree Swamp National Monument near Columbia, SC.
> ***
> Saturday was 11/10/01--I've been enjoying these binary number dates the
> past two years, but I guess Sunday was the last one until 2010.  Anyway,
> I took a visitor from New Jersey to Congaree on Saturday morning.  We were
> about an hour behind the Columbia Audubon group led by Robin Carter.  We
> went down the high boardwalk and finally met up with them along Weston
Lake.
> We agreed with them that the birds were exceptionally active, the most
> activity I have ever seen at Congaree.  Of course it helped that
visibility
> was outstanding, with clear and dry conditions and with most leaves down.
> Our highlight to that point was a Brown Creeper going up a trunk near the
> boardwalk.
>
> Where we met up, a pair of Yellow-Bellied Sapsuckers was really "going at
it",
> with one repeatedly flying across the boardwalk just overhead, landing on
> a tree trunk, and the other following right behind and landing just below.
> I think it was a young male pursuing an adult male.  This went on, back
and
> forth, for at least five minutes with no real confrontation.  But then the
> two birds got tangled up and dropped like a clump to the ground,
apparently
> pecking each other.  They dropped to the ground this way four separate
times
> that I saw.
>
> Steve Dennis of Audubon told me they had encountered (seen or heard) about
> 20 Winter Wrens.  If one speaks of a "murder" of crows, what about Winter
> Wrens?  I hadn't noticed any at all.  We decided to turn around and tag
> along with Audubon to enjoy their company and share their discoveries.  On
> this glorious, warm morning (around 70 degrees by 11am), the most
surprising
> thing to me was to hear a chorus of chirping crickets.
>
> We found no Winter Wrens, alas, but there was another special treat:
> Some of the few remaining wet spots along the trail in this extended
drought
> are near the Visitor Center.  Bringing up the rear of the group as we
neared
> the final rise, I was lucky enough to see a bird flush down in the leaves
and
> to hear it voice a call note.  It landed again a few feet away.  Though I
> could not locate it unaided, because of its perfect camouflage, with
> binoculars I could immediately identify it as an American Woodcock!  It
was
> the first one I have ever seen at close range in good light.  The eyes
> looked even larger than in the guides, and I was surprised how long the
bill
> was.  We called ahead to the group.  The bird cooperated, only walking
slowly
> and staying nearby for everyone to see.  Robin Carter said he had seen a
> Woodcock along the boardwalk only once before, back in the 80's.
> ***
> I decided to return as soon as possible to Congaree to sample the blizzard
> of Winter Wrens, so I went back this morning (11/13).  It was just as
> clear and dry, but chilly, warming from the low 40's to the mid 50's.
> There was less activity, though I encountered a cluster (murder? cell?)
> of about ten Hermit Thrushes, including three in one tree.  Near the start
of
> the Low Boardwalk, just after the handrails end, I was treated to a close
> look at a Hairy Woodpecker.  It appeared to be excavating a cavity in a
> giant dead Loblolly Pine on the right side.
>
> I actually saw far more birds overall today than Saturday--because a flock
of
> several thousand Common Grackles came through.  I got to see all seven
> Woodpecker species one could expect (Red-Cockaded's are not found there
any
> longer), the big surprise being that Downy Woodpecker was the last of
> the seven species to show up!
>
> Still no Winter Wrens.  Not far from Weston Lake on the high boardwalk,
> there seemed to be more activity, so I began my pishing and Screech Owl
> calling.  In no time I had at least 25 agitated birds in the modest tree
> overhead, mostly Kinglets.  More and more birds came in to see what the
> fuss was about.  I spotted a Winter Wren on one of the logs.  Two
Sapsuckers
> came near.  Finally, some Warblers--I hadn't seen any on either day
> previously--including a lovely Yellow-throated.  The latest checklist
> for Congaree has a gap in November for this species, so this must be the
> first one (though it is not unexpected).
>
> On the return walk I spotted three more Winter Wrens--evidently many of
the
> wrens I had been hearing both days were actually Winter, not Carolina!
>
> Another surprise to me--not finding any Barred Owls either day.  One large
> silhouette I found turned out to be a Red-Shouldered Hawk.
>
> I attach a list of birds that responded to my calling from this one spot.
>
> Red-headed Woodpecker 1
> Yellow-bellied Sapsucker 2
> Downy Woodpecker 1
> Northern Flicker 1
> Blue-headed Vireo 2
> Carolina Chickadee 2
> Tufted Titmouse 3
> White-breasted Nuthatch 1
> Carolina Wren 1
> Winter Wren 1
> Golden-crowned Kinglet 4
> Ruby-crowned Kinglet 30
> Hermit Thrush 4
> Yellow-rumped Warbler 4
> Yellow-throated Warbler 1   *new for month
> Pine Warbler 1
> White-throated Sparrow 10
> Northern Cardinal 5
>
> Whew!  What a crowd!
> "I'd rather be pishing"
>
> Jerry Griggs j@sc.edu
> Columbia, SC
>