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Early movements



Hi Folks,

A few of us working with birds at the SRS in New Ellenton, SC have noticed 
some interesting movement-related items on site.

Hermit Thrush abundance slowly diminished in the sandhills during late 
November, December, January and early February. This is probably due to the 
slow breakdown in their winter territories as a result of diminishing fruit 
supplies (in fall they duke it out for the best winter foraging areas and 
defend them from intruders). Well recently we have picked them back up on 
censuses, casual observations etc. and the numbers are building (I had about 
25 dash in front of the truck today as I drove my Red-cockaded routs). 
Meanwhile, Robins have been foraging less on fruit and more on 
animal-protein out in the open fields and also within the forest. I had 17 
in a 5X5 foot area in my yard where lots of crickets and other inverts tend 
to hang out (they would listen intently, scrape leaves aside and eat an 
insect… listen, scrape, eat…). Red-headed Woodpeckers that could only be 
found in the bottomlands of the Savannah this winter are returning to the 
sandhill pine-stands once again. My guess is that we are already seeing the 
early movements of migration. I am only further convinced by the cacophony 
of full, territorial song (Pine Warblers, Red-bellied Woodpeckers, both ruby 
and Golden-cr. Kinglets, Phoebes, Gnatcatcher (today) etc. etc. etc.).

Tick, tick, tick… It’s only a matter of time.

Paul Champlin
New Ellenton, SC


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