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Big Sit in Columbia, SC



Alter doing a Big Sit on the wrong day (one week too early) due to my error
of not paying attention to the announced date, Columbia Audubon Society
members turned out in force to help me do another Big Sit on the proper day
(22 Oct 2000). We sat on the observation deck at Granby Park, on the
Congaree River, within the city limits of Columbia, SC. I was present from
6:30 AM until 6:30 PM, while the other came and went thoughout the day. The
weather was warm, clear, humid, and mostly calm, with temperatures between
60 and 80 degrees F.

We found far fewer birds and fewer species this time, compared to a week
earlier. The best birds of the day were the first of the day, two Great
Horned Owls who were calling nearby for over 30 minutes, and who perched for
5 minutes in a treetop not 30 yards away, so I could admire them in the dim
light. The other good bird was a late migrant Black-throated Blue Warbler.
We saw few, if any butterflies (we were too much in the woods). There were
NO Ruby-crowned Kinglets, quite a surprise.

Here is our list (I count 39 species):

Double-crested Cormorant -- 3
Great Blue Heron -- 2
Osprey -- 1
Bald Eagle -- 1 adult
Northern Harrier -- 1
Killdeer -- 1
Yellow-billed Cuckoo -- 1
Great Horned Owl -- 2
Belted Kingfisher -- 2
Red-bellied Woodpecker -- 4
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker -- 1
Downy Woodpecker -- 2
Northern Flicker -- 12 (a good migratory push)
Pileated Woodpecker -- 1
Eastern Phoebe -- 1
Blue Jay -- 15
American Crow -- 10
Fish Crow -- 5
Caroline Chickadee -- 6
Tufted Titmouse -- 3
Carolina Wren -- 12
Winter Wren -- 2
Golden-crowned Kinglet -- 2
Eastern Bluebird -- 5
Hermit Thrush -- 1
American Robin -- 30
Gray Catbird -- 1
Northern Mockingbird -- 3
Brown Thrasher -- 1
European Starling -- 25
Black-throated Blue Warbler -- 1 (a nice male)
"Myrtle" Warbler -- 10
Eastern Towhee -- 1
White-throated Sparrow -- 2
Northern Cardinal -- 15
Red-winged Blackbird -- 35
Common Grackle -- 1000
Brown-headed Cowbird -- 2
House Finch -- 10

Participants:  Robin Carter, Caroline Eastman, Jerry Griggs, Frank Hill,
Heidi Hoerman


Robin Carter
4165 East Buchanan Drive
Columbia, SC 29206