Re: Spring Migrants

["Robin Carter" <rcarter@sc.rr.com>]

Chris,

This has not been a very good spring for finding passerine migrants in South
Carolina. Also the bulk of the migrants may not have arrived yet. Here are
some spots which have been good in the past. This is a personal list, in no
particular order.

1. the lower Saluda River. I usually go to the Gardendale Access area or
Saluda Shoals Park. Riverbanks Zoo area can be good, but there are no good
trails and it is too crowded. The trail at the botanical garden is
frustrating, since it is so short, so crowded, and you can't leave the
trail. The birding in this area was pretty good before the zoo took it over.

2. Granby Park in Columbia (part of the Three Rivers Greenway)

3. Lynches Woods Park in Newberry

4. 40 Acre Rock HP in Lancaster County (especially along old 601 and near
the beaver pond)

5. Sassafras Mountain and the Eastatoe Valley

6. Landsford Canal State Park in Chester County, or across the river in
Lancaster County (if you can find it)

7. the Caesar's Head area, especially the Oil Camp Creek trail and the
pulloffs coming down the mountain

8. the Walhalla Fish Hatchery area in Oconee County, and also the Burrells
Ford area nearby

9. the Anne Springs Close Greenway in Fort Mill

10. Broad River WMA in Fairfield County

11. the Woods Ferry area of Sumter NF in Chester County, or the Broad River
Recreation Area just across the river in Union County

12. the Blue Wall Preserve near Landrum

13. Jackson Park in Hendersonville, NC (not in SC, but close enough)

14. Congaree Swamp NM near Columbia


If you really want to see passerine migrants, consider the Blue Ridge
Parkway, Kennesaw Mountain Park near Atlanta, the Florida or Alabama Gulf
Coast, the West Virginia mountains, New Jersey, northern Indiana, or
northern Ohio. There is nowhere in the extreme southeastern US that is
especially good, except along the Gulf Coast. Be at Tawas Point or Whitefish
Point in Michigan on 20 May.

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

----- Original Message -----
From: "Chris Gentile" <cgentile@Riverbanks.org>
To: <rcarter@sc.rr.com>
Sent: Monday, April 29, 2002 8:29 AM
Subject: Spring Migrants


> Robin,
>
> In your opinion, where is the best place in the State for migrants?  We
> tried Congaree, and that was alright, and we went to Caesar's Head
yesterday
> and that wasn't very productive.
>
> Chris
>
> ______________________
> Christopher S. Gentile
> Curator of Education
> Riverbanks Zoo & Garden
> (803) 779-8717 ext 1106
> cgentile@riverbanks.org
>
>