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Sav. Spoil Site today (9-28)



This morning I went on a field trip that the Charleston Natural History Society took to the Savannah Spoil Site.  The trip was lead by Burton Moore and Dennis Forsythe; Steve Calver facilitated and showed us around.

Highlights:

Eared Grebe - 1
Roseate Spoonbill - 1 (2nd year bird)
Wilson's Phalarope - 8
FRANKLIN'S GULL!!! - 1
Am. Avocets - couple of hundred 
Black-necked Stilt - dozens
White-rumped Sandpiper - 1
Pectoral Sandpiper - 15-20
Stilt Sandpiper - 3 or 4
LOTS of peeps (mostly Least with some Western and Semi-p)
Wood Storks - 15 or 20
White Ibis - couple of dozen
White Pelican - 1
Long-billed Dowitchers - big flock
SB Dowitchers - lots
Lesser Yellowlegs - lots
Greater Yellowlegs - couple dozen

We got good scope looks at the Franklin's Gull sitting on the water and in brief flight - Steve Calver first spotted the bird.  Steve also got some digiscope pictures.  While we were watching the Franklin's Gull and Wilson's Phalaropes, Burton Moore said "hey check out this grebe."  Bam - another lifer for several folks.

A lot of the shorebirds went unidentified due to distance and lighting conditions.  A feral pig hunter/trapper came driving around the dikes and told us he saw several of the "big pink birds" roosting in the trees across the impoundment.  When we got over there, all we found was a single Roseate Spoonbill with some Wood Storks and White Ibis.

Burton and Ed Blitch and I went over to the Savannah NWR afterwards and managed to scrounge up a Purple Gallinule in an otherwise vacant setting.

Nathan Dias - Charleston, SC