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Congaree Bluff on 28 Oct 2001



After hearing about Donna Bailey's Peregrine Falcon at the Congaree Bluff
hawk watch near Fort Motte, Calhoun County, SC I just had to go there for a
few hours myself, which I did yesterday afternoon. By the way, Donna's
peregrine was flying over the Congaree Swamp National Monument, a first
record of that species for the park.

My four hours at the Bluff were wonderful. It really felt like a good old
northeastern hawk watch -- cold winds, a clear blue sky, 30 km visibility,
and even a few hawks, including my very own Peregrine Falcon, which flew
right by the hawk watch at treetop level. Here is my hawk watch list --

Black Vulture -- 113
Turkey Vulture -- 13,
Sharp-shinned Hawk -- 5
Cooper's Hawk -- 1
Red-tailed Hawk -- 7
Peregrine Falcon -- 1
American Kestrel -- 1

With the addition of Peregrine Falcon to the Congaree Bluff list we are now
missing only three remotely possible hawk species -- Swallow-tailed Kite,
Rough-legged Hawk, and Golden Eagle. We still have a chance for two of these
three this year.

Other species of note were three lost Rock Doves flying over Congaree Swamp
National Monument, heading for Sumter in a hurry (racing pigeons?) and an
Anhinga, flying up the river.

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