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Congaree Swamp NM, 8 March 2003




A trip to the Congaree Swamp yesterday by Mac Sharpe and myself in search of the very first of the spring warblers netted only one of the two hoped for warblers and missed any singing from the winter residents completely. While I had hoped to find Northern Parula and Yellow-throated Warbler, we found only Yellow-throated. The few Ruby-crowned Kinglets present were not singing, unfortunately, and I didn't hear a single note I would call Winter Wren.


All of the usual woodpeckers were present and we got an excellent look at a lovely Hairy Woodpecker. Among the usual suspects heard were Eastern Bluebird and American Goldfinch, as well as Red-shouldered Hawk and Barred Owl.

Much of the Swamp was flooded. The new boardwalk from the Visitor's Center to the turn back toward the "old" boardwalk, as well as the old elevated boardwalk, are open. The service road and the boardwalk from just beyond that first turn back to the old boardwalk appeared to be flooded. That was kind of neat though, as I had never seen the annual flooding at the Swamp. We spotted a couple of frogs in the water, as well as a couple of lizards on the boardwalks, escaping the water.

The bonus bird for this trip, however, surpassed anything I could have hoped for. An oddball Red-tail perched on a powerline caused us to turn around and go back to inspect the bird. Good decision, as we found my second ever rufous morph Red-tailed Hawk. This bird was a lovely deep chestnut. The belly band was composed of numerous chestnut spots and the back just a shade darker than the tail without any white scalloping at all. A beautiful bird!

Sometimes the good birds aren't where you think they are going to be - and don't ever pass an oddball Red-tail without taking a good long second look!


Donna Slyce Bailey Lexington, SC

email: dsbailey@conterra.com