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Murrelet relocated in SC?



Robin Carter and I went by Fishing Creek Reservoir near Great Falls,
South Carolina,  late Saturday afternoon (January 8, 2000).  We observed
the lake from the Duke Power Fishing Creek Access Area (developed boat
ramp described by Turner and Piephoff in earlier email).  Most birds
were (of course) on the far side of the lake. There were a few ducks,
many gulls, cormorants, a few Pied-billed Grebes, and a couple of Horned
Grebes.  Robin spied a small bird near the Horned Grebes steadily
working its way towards the dam. It continued on this course, with an
occasional dive, for about 15 minutes of observation. It was noticeably
smaller than the Horned Grebes, which I observed next to it. It had a
dark back and head; its throat, breast, and belly were white. It did not
look like any of the other birds on the lake and gave the general
appearance of an alcid.  It best matched the description of the
Long-tailed Murrelet; unfortunately the bird was too far away for a
definitive look.

Our impression is that this is the same bird described earlier by Mike
Turner.  Clearly there is an unusual bird of some kind on this lake, and
we encourage others to continuing looking for it.  Keep in mind that it
is elusive and tends to be far away when seen; we had looked for it
earlier without success. A telescope is essential if you are going to
check out the area; a boat would be even better. 

Caroline Eastman
Columbia, SC
eastman@cs.sc.edu