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Francis Beidler Forest Birding



Hey Carolina Birders,

Having yesterday's closing on our home rescheduled, I had nothing left to do
but go birding.  (I hope the next closing gets rescheduled too so I can go
again!)  I'd heard about Francis Beidler Forest and made the trip to
Dorchester County, SC to see the place.  It was beautiful.  I enjoyed the
swamps as much as the birds.  The highlight was most certainly having the
opportunity to meet Ann Shahid and talk with her for some time.  I also
birded other areas in Dorchester County as well as a brief stop or two in
Charleston and Georgetown Counties on the way home.

New birds for me for the year included Yellow-breasted Chat, Common
Nighthawk, Black-throated Blue Warbler, Broad-winged Hawk, Yellow-crowned
Night-Heron, Scarlet Tanager, Veery, Acadian Flycatcher and a new life bird
for me, a Willow Flycatcher.  Fortunately, having read Ann's earlier post
about the Least Flycatcher being seen there earlier in the week, I listened
to the "eastern" flycatchers on CD for two hours before arriving at Beidler.
Before entering the visitors' center the bird was calling from the parking
area.  I felt certain the bird sounded like the Willow, and a quick scan did
reveal a flycatcher although the lighting wasn't the best.  I checked the
recordings again later and confirmed the ID.  (I was glad to see that Perry
Nugent had one at Caw Caw yesterday as well.  I was assured to know that the
timing was right also.)  43 species were seen and/or heard on the property
at Beidler and included the following:

Indigo Bunting
Northern Cardinal
Gray Catbird
Yellow-breasted Chat
Carolina Chickadee
Brown-headed Cowbird
American Crow
Fish Crow
Yellow-billed Cuckoo
Mourning Dove
Acadian Flycatcher
Great Crested Flycatcher
Willow Flycatcher
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher
Common Grackle
Blue Grosbeak
Broad-winged Hawk
Red-tailed Hawk
Ruby-throated Hummingbird
Blue Jay
Yellow-crowned Night-Heron
Orchard Oriole
Barred Owl
Northern Parula
Scarlet Tanager
Summer Tanager
Tufted Titmouse
Eastern Towhee
Wild Turkey
Veery
Red-eyed Vireo
White-eyed Vireo
Turkey Vulture
Black-and-white Warbler
Black-throated Blue Warbler
Hooded Warbler
Prothonotary Warbler
Swainson's Warbler
Yellow-throated Warbler
Hairy Woodpecker
Pileated Woodpecker
Red-bellied Woodpecker
Carolina Wren

Other birds seen or heard throughout the day included:

Red-winged Blackbird
Eastern Bluebird
Northern Bobwhite
Double-crested Cormorant
Rock Dove
Wood Duck
Bald Eagle
Cattle Egret
Great Egret
House Finch
Canada Goose
Boat-tailed Grackle
Laughing Gull
Great Blue Heron
Green Heron
Little Blue Heron
White Ibis
Blue Jay
Killdeer
Eastern Kingbird
Mallard
Purple Martin
Northern Mockingbird
Common Nighthawk
Black-crowned Night-Heron
Osprey
American Oystercatcher
Brown Pelican
Clapper Rail
Solitary Sandpiper
Loggerhead Shrike
European Starling
Barn Swallow
Mute Swan
Chimney Swift
Caspian Tern
Brown Thrasher
Black Vulture
Chuck-will's-widow
Willet

Oh yeah.. and one Ostrich sp. by the Summerville Airport.  Although not a
lifer or state bird (I'd seen folks ride them at the Dixie Stampede in
Myrtle Beach) I don't recall having one on my Dorchester County list.  ;-)

Good Birding,
Ritch Lilly
Myrtle Beach, SC
scbeachbums@hotmail.com