Birding at Santee Coastal Reserve

["Ritch Lilly" <scbeachbums@hotmail.com>]

The following were seen late this afternoon at Santee Coastal Reserve (SCR)
in the extreme northeastern corner of Charleston County, SC.  The Northern
Pintails were probably the highlight of the day for me.  If anyone plans on
heading that direction to look for ducks, you might want to do so before
next Thursday.  I understand from Gary Phillips' earlier post (thanks,
dude!) that the impoundments will be closed to everyone but duck hunters
from that date until January 23, 2003.


Anhinga (4)
Red-winged Blackbird (300+)
Eastern Bluebird (5)
Bufflehead (2)
Northern Cardinal (3)
Carolina Chickadee (6)
American Coot (250+)
Double-crested Cormorant (12)
American Crow (4)
Fish Crow (2)
Mourning Dove (6)
Short-billed Dowitcher (60)
Ruddy Duck (9)
Wood Duck (3)
Bald Eagle (8)
Great Egret (20)
Snowy Egret (25)
Northern Flicker (15)
Gadwall (35)
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher (3)
Boat-tailed Grackle (20)
Common Grackle (750+)
Pied-billed Grebe (60)
Herring Gull (1)
Ring-billed Gull (20)
Northern Harrier (10)
Red-tailed Hawk (1)
Great Blue Heron (10)
Green Heron (1)
Little Blue Heron (25)
Tricolored Heron (15)
White Ibis (20)
Blue Jay (6)
American Kestrel (2)
Belted Kingfisher (10)
Ruby-crowned Kinglet (20)
Hooded Merganser (350+)
Northern Mockingbird (5)
Common Moorhen (6)
Black-crowned Night-Heron (1)
Brown-headed Nuthatch (7)
Eastern Screech Owl (25+  These were calling from the park headquarters all
the way out to the paved road as I was leaving right around dusk.  Although
most were "heard onlys", five were seen as well.)
Eastern Phoebe (2)
Northern Pintail (3000+  Most of these were on the impoundments closest to
the South Santee River)
Clapper Rail (8-10 calling from the road leading to the South Santee River)
American Robin (40)
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker (1)
Greater Scaup (2)
Lesser Scaup (30)
Northern Shoveler (250+)
Chipping Sparrow (4)
Savannah Sparrow (1)
Song Sparrow (6)
Swamp Sparrow (3)
White-throated Sparrow (2)
Wood Stork (3)
Tree Swallow (150+)
Blue-winged Teal (300+)
Green-winged Teal (200+)
Caspian Tern (2)
Forster's Tern (8)
Tufted Titmouse (20)
Eastern Towhee (2)
Turkey Vulture (4)
Palm Warbler (6)
Pine Warbler (10)
Yellow-rumped Warbler (50+)
American Wigeon (75+)
Downy Woodpecker (4)
Pileated Woodpecker (2)
Red-bellied Woodpecker (2)
Red-cockaded Woodpecker (3)
Carolina Wren (2)
Greater Yellowlegs (200+)
Lesser Yellowlegs (200+)
Common Yellowthroat (8)


On a somewhat unrelated note, sixteen feral pigs were seen during the visit.
Fortunately, no mosquitoes or deer flies were seen (or felt) at all!  This
was, by far, the most pleasant day of birding I've had at SCR.

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