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report from the Congaree



Hi C-Birders,

Yesterday and today I did a bit of birding near the Congaree River, Calhoun
and Richland Counties, SC at Congaree Bluff Heritage Preserve (yesterday, 29
Sep 2001) and Congaree Swamp National Monument (today, 30 Sep 2001). The
weather was fall like both days, with lows in the low 50's F. and highs in
the 70s. F -- very different from conditions last week end at Santee, SC!

Yesterday I sat at the hawkwatch at Congaree Bluff for 3.5 hours. The Black
Vulture migration has finally begun in earnest. I had 76 Black Vultures,
plus one each of the following (not counting obvious non-migrant local
birds) -- Turkey Vulture, Cooper's Hawk, Northern Harrier, Broad-winged
Hawk, and Red-tailed Hawk.

Today Caroline Eastman and I were at Congaree Swamp National Monument from
before dawn until about 10 AM. We had a fair thrush flight, landing just
before dawn, but very few migrants in the daylight. We did find the first
park record for House Finch, a mid morning fly-over heard along the new
entrance road. This is the second new species for the park with the last few
days, the other being a Eurasian Collared-Dove. This tends to indicate the
"Invasion of the Body Snatchers"  nature of the expansion of these two
species -- there everywhere (at least in South Carolina).

Here is our Congaree Swamp NM list from this morning, from along the new
entrance road:

Black Vulture -- 2 (southbound migrants)
Wood Duck -- 1
Red-shouldered Hawk -- 2
Mourning Dove -- 3
Barred Owl -- 3
Chimney Swift -- 5
Red-bellied Woodpecker -- 5
Downy Woodpecker -- 3
Hairy Woodpecker -- 2
Northern Flicker -- 4
Pileated Woodpecker -- 4
Eastern Wood-Pewee -- 1
White-eyed Vireo -- 6
Yellow-throated Vireo -- 1
Red-eyed Vireo -- 1
Blue Jay -- 2
American Crow -- 12
Carolina Chickadee -- 10
Tufted Titmouse -- 20
White-breasted Nuthatch -- 2
Brown-headed Nuthatch -- 1
Carolina Wren -- 16
Ruby-crowned Kinglet -- 1 (my first of the fall; park early date is 9/27)
Veery -- 1
Gray-cheeked Thrush -- 4
Swainson's Thrush -- 12
Wood Thrush -- 8
Northern Mockingbird -- 1
Brown Thrasher -- 4
Northern Parula -- 2
Magnolia Warbler -- 4
Pine Warbler -- 3
Black-and-white Warbler -- 1
American Redstart -- 3
Eastern Towhee -- 1
Northern Cardinal -- 8
Rose-breasted Grosbeak -- 3
HOUSE FINCH -- 1 (first park record!)

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