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swallow-tailed kite, columbus co., n.c., april 6



Hi, all. Big thrill. On Saturday Kathy Roggenkamp, Anne Beckwith, Claudia
Egelhoff and I were kayaking on the Waccamaw River in Columbus County, about
two miles north of the Old Dock community (and downstream from Lake
Waccamaw), when we happened to look up. Kathy and I both saw a
Swallow-tailed Kite swoop over our heads fairly low. And then it was gone.
An hour later at our lunch spot on the south end of Crusoe Island, Claudia
saw it (or another) fly over. For Kathy and me, this bird was a lifer. And
it was gorgeous. No doubt what it was -- it banked over our heads and gave
us a Sibley moment. Thank you, Jack Peachey, for reminding us to look up! We
invoked your name on the river.

For birders interested in canoeing and kayaking the Waccamaw, there's a new
development that may make the river a little easier to manage. A couple of
guys are setting up an outfitting service (canoe rentals, parking, shuttle
service) at county road 1928 at Clifton's Landing east of Old Dock. This
means you could go down the river with only one vehicle and be picked up at
the end; it also means that the 11 and 12 miles stretches of river could be
cut in half in some sections (between Lake Waccamaw and Old Dock, for
instance). The guys are Doug Smith (910-646-2143) and Charles Hickman
(910-642-4718), and they also have a website (they told me; I haven't
checked it out): www.4wroc.com. I have no connection with this company
whatever, but I intend to try them out on another trip. Our strategy on
Saturday, since we were not up for an 11 mile paddle from Lake Waccamaw to
Old Dock, was to put in on SR 1928 and paddle upstream against the current
for 3 miles, then float back down. 
Ginger_Travis@unc.edu
Chapel Hill, NC