Dates have been set for tri-state area Christmas bird counts. All bird counts are sponsored by the Audubon Society and start a dawn. Please check the Cincinnati Birds web site calendar section for more details on all bird counts.
Dec. 17th–Hamilton-Fairfield Christmas Bird Count
Dec. 17th–Ohio River Christmas Bird Count
Dec. 18th–Western Hamilton County Christmas Bird Count
Dec. 26th–Cincinnati Christmas Bird Count
Jan 1st.–East Fork S.P. Christmas Bird Count
Posted in Uncategorized
In order to expand my readership I’ve worked really hard to set up “A Birder’s Notebook” as a fan page on Facebook. So now all posts will automatically show up on the wall of the Facebook page. To make finding it easy, I’ve added a Facebook widget on the right of my blogs home page. All you have to do it click-on the words “A Birder’s Notebook” and it should take you to my fan page. So I’m crossing my fingers in hopes that all goes well.
Posted in Uncategorized
Hilton Head Island/ Pickney Island N.W.R./Savannah N.W.R.
A much needed family vacation with a lot of birding mixed in. That’s what the doctor ordered, and who am I to argue with a doctor.
Leaving at 4 am this will be the farthest I’ve traveled for an official “on the road” bird trip, and I’m so looking forward to it. The drive was uneventful as it took 12 hours to make it despite stopping for lunch, gas, and the regular pit-stops. The scenery through the mountains was nothing but spectacular as they were in their full Autumn splendor. The stretch from Knoxville to Ashville to Spartanburg S.C. was a curvy, mountainous treat for the eyes.
After arriving we had the customary unloading of the car, looking through our condo for the week (which was awesome) then paying our respects and saying hello to our host for the week, the Atlantic Ocean.
Fish Haul Creek Park was my first destination for the week. At the northern point of the island, this combination of coastal forest and salt marsh, borders the ocean.
A gazebo was built out into the vast saltwater marsh.
A nice wide trail meanders through the woods from a large parking lot, which includes restrooms and has security cameras mounted throughout the lot. This trail finally ends at the ocean, more or less, depending on the tides.
At high tide all of the sand in the distance would be covered.
A Great Blue Heron with some flat fish he just caught.
There were birds everywhere! As the tide recedes, there area just opens up with exposed sand bars that attract birds from all over. And only 20 minutes from my condo. I found more life birds in this one area than I’ve ever found in anyplace else. That’s why I returned 2 more times after my initial visit. If you ever visit Hilton head, you have to do some birding here. I really recommend a spotting scope. At times it was difficult to get close to the birds, so using my scope was the best choice.
Marbled Godwit wading as the tide goes out.
With the sun behind my back I was able to catch this Great Blue Heron.
An American Oystercatcher snoozing.
There were plenty of Snowy Egrets.
White Ibis
Immature White Ibis
A Snowy Egret fishing in the surf.
Tri-color Egret
A variety of Gulls, Terns, Black Skimmers, and Marbled Godwits in the foreground.
On one of my visits a dozen Western Sandpipers strolled by feeding.
My best picture of a Marbled Godwit
Marbled Godwits resting. At one time there were at least 30 Godwits here.
A Willet and a Ruddy Turnstone.
Notice the Black Skimmer to the left of the brown Pelican. Instead of flying while it skims the water for food, it stood in one place and caught food while the tide moved the water through it’s bill.
An American Oystercatcher, Un-identifiable Gull, and a Black Skimmer
However the best bird I found at Fish Haul Creek Park was a Piping Plover. Rich, a birder I meet while down there had told me he saw one a week ago. So on my second visit there I was able to spot just one. However on my third visit I was able to see 4 of these small plovers. These pictures might not be the best, but the orange legs are a sure give-away.
There’s 3 of them. See how well they blend into the color of the sand.
Zoomed in and heavily cropped, as are the next 2 photos.
On my third visit to Fish Haul Creek I called Rich to let him know of my discovery of 4 Piping Plovers. As it turned out he was with a friend at Savannah National Wildlife Refuge doing some birding. Then he teased me by telling me that he’s spotted Glossy Ibis’s. So off I went for an hour drive to someplace I had no where it was, other than we passed the turn-off to the visitors center on our way to visit Savannah just the day before. However today Rich was at another part which you were able to drive. Being in a hurry makes the drive take so much longer than it really is, however I was able to find my way and find Rich as well.
The sign at the beginning of the auto tour. Being strapped for time I couldn’t give this place justice. Which was a shame, because this place is vast with plenty of bird activity. The auto tour stretched for several miles and I know I probably exceeded the speed limit in my haste to find Rich.
A pretty poor picture of a Glossy Ibis, but a new lifer for me. I also pick up a Purple Gallinule on my drive out, but he didn’t want his picture taken.
This is my only shot of how the landscape looks for most of the refuge. These were once rice fields. At 29,00 acres, this place is immense.
On my drive out I couldn’t help but notice that there’s more than just birds at this refuge.
One of the places I was looking forward to visiting was Pickney Island National Wildlife Refuge. On the bridge that connects the main land to Hilton Head, it’s just a left hand turn as you approach the island.
It was here that I meet up with my new friend, Rich Methany and some members of the Sun City Bird Club for a morning of some low country birding.
Sun rise over Pickney Island.
The group meet in the parking lot, then headed out on foot towards Ibis Pond.
This is what surrounded the island.
Tidal pool
As we made our way towards Ibis Pond, we shared stories and experiences while picking up some good birds for the day. Yellow-rumped Warblers had arrived in full force with hundreds of them all along our hike. We also picked up a Nashville Warbler and a Northern Parula. Arriving at Ibis Pond we were greeted with Moorhens calling real loud. Besides the adults, there were young as well making such a racket you could hear it from a long ways away.
Immature Moorhen a.k.a. Common Gallinule
They weren’t keen on posing for pictures, so this is the best I could do for a Moorhen.
Male and female Wood Duck
An immature Yellow-crowned Night Heron who liked having his picture taken.
I left Pickney Island with more life birds and some great memories, as well as some new friends who I’m sure to meet again. To sum up this trip in just a few words wouldn’t do it any justice. And the pictures I posted are just a few of all the pictures of birds I took. I will post all bird pictures on my “flickr” page. I had a great time and plans are in the works for a return visit.
Notable birds for the week include:
One of the tips I learned from Rich (Sun City Bird Club member) was if you wanted to have any luck finding good shorebirds at Fish Haul Creek Park was to be there about 3 hours before high tide. The tides here are impressive, rising as much as 12 feet between low and high tide. This makes planning kind of difficult considering I’m on vacation with plans made and places to be. So the plan for today was to be at Fish Haul Creek Park about 3 hours before low tide while some of the sandbars are starting to get exposed.
It was another beautiful day when I arrived at about 10: 30 this morning. Making my way to the beach I noticed large concentration on sea and shore birds. Composing mostly of Black Skimmers, Brown Pelicans, various gulls and tern, Marbled Godwits, Ruddy Turnstones and Sanderlings, the 2 highlights for the day included a Reddish Egret and the best bird for the day if not for the month was a single Piping Plover. Rich had told me that he had seen a couple last week and I was determined to find at least one with the time remaining, and I did. Like I said before, it’s better to be lucky than good.
Posted in Notes from the Field
Greeting from sunny Hilton Head, South Carolina. As you can probably tell I’ve been a busy birder this last day and a half. I’ve been very anxious about this trip and the possibility to get skunked and not reaching my 300th bird was ever present in my mind. However that was squelched on my first day. Just doing a little birding around the condo and the walkway to the beach netted me 2 new life birds, Brown-headed Nuthatch and the Clapper Rail. That is a total of 4 Rails this year alone.
This morning I traveled over to Fish Haul Creek Park, from what I understand, is a prime hotspot on the island. A beautiful park with coastal woods, a vast expanse of wetlands, and the ocean with some nice beach vegetation, and at low tide some great sandbars. The birding was spectacular! The highlights from this trip was of course my new life birds, which include Royal Tern, Gull-billed Tern, Marbled Godwit, Ruddy Turnstone, and Saltmarsh Sharp-tailed Sparrow. What a great day, mucking over the wet sand an scanning the sandbars with my tripod sinking into the sand.
Tomorrow takes me to Pickney National Wildlife Refuge with the Sun City Bird Club. So stay tuned for more birding excitement.
Posted in Notes from the Field
Tagged Bird Watching, Birding, Fish Haul Creek Park, Hilton Head, South Carolina
Dedicated to the birder, as we start our week.
The Mourning Dove
with peace and tranquility
serenity’s song
by Phil & Matt Burgio
A Birder's Notebook 
