Birding Charleston

   On Sunday, we left Memphis on a large Delta Airlines jet. We arrived in Charleston, SC around dinner time. The weather was perfect for our birding vacation. Temperatures around 70 F. Traveling itself was tiresome for me, so we got a hotel room in Charleston right away. We downed a delicious seafood dinner of Crab Cakes and Fish and Chips. We went back to our hotel and planned for the rest of the week.

   Monday we birded our way to the ante-bellum Boone Hall Plantation. It is one of America's oldest plantations. It has been continuously growing and producing crops for over three centuries. Once known for cotton and pecans, it now produces strawberries, tomatoes, and pumpkins. Driving onto the plantation property, we drove down a driveway with a beautiful row of oaks on both sides. We spotted an Eastern Phoebe (Sayornis Phoebe) perched on the lower branches of one of the oak trees.

Robert parked the rental car in a dry spot on a muddy field. As we were leaving later in the day, some lady got stuck in the mud. Seven fellows were helping her, so Robert chose not to get wet and stayed in the car. We walked along the side of the field, staring at the trees and counting the birds. Circling lazily in the sky, there were two Red Tailed Hawks (Buteo Jamaicensis). As we approached the water, a flock of beautiful Wood Storks (Mycteria Americana) landed in formation. It was in this salty swamp that we saw a large flock of White Ibis (Eudocimus Albus). They had brown and white feathers, which distinguished them from the Little Blue Herons (Egretta Caerulea) which were mixed in with some Snowy Egrets (Egret Thula). This was a fun stop for us. South Carolina never fails to delight.

   A birding note about the Little Blue Heron must be made here. The Little Blue Heron is a medium sized heron. We only see it in very warm climates. It’s bill is blue or grey with a barely perceptible black tip. Adult Little Blue Herons have blue and grey plumage, except for the head and neck, which are purplish. Juvenile Little Blue Herons are entirely white; we look for the dull greenish legs. They gradually acquire their own blue plumage as they mature. Many of the Little Blue Herons that we saw today were the white juveniles. They can be distinguished from the Great Egret (Ardea Alba) that we also see by the difference in the color of their bills.

   Robert and I left the Boone Hill Plantation and had lunch at a nice soup place named “Ladles”. Robert had a Greek lemon chicken soup with feta cheese crumbles and a sandwich. Berry had the potato soup with bacon and a sandwich. For a pick-me-up, we both got spiced coffee from Starbucks.

   After lunch, we drove through the swampy low areas of James and Wadmalaw Islands just southwest of Charleston. Along the roads and in the fields, we saw lots of Eastern Bluebirds (Sialia Sialis) and a tangle of Yellow Rumped Warblers (Setophaga Coronata). We peeked under a bridge at birds feeding in the mud. We found two Yellow Bellied Sapsuckers (Sphyrapicus Varius) in front of a house. One of the woodpeckers attacked the other. We identified the local favorite, the Seaside Sparrow (Ammodramus Maritimus), playing the the low reeds as we were leaving.

On the road to Rockville, Robert spotted and counted a large flock of seventy-five White Ibis (Eudocimus Albus).

   After a beautiful day of birding, it started sprinkling and got dark, so we got a hotel room. We ate a nice dinner at the Glass Onion, a natural food styled restaurant. They offered us brie cheese and jelly, corn bread with honey and pickled okra. Yum.

Below is a list of the birds we saw today

• Hooded Merganser (Lophodytes Cucullatus)
• Double Crested Cormorant (Phalacrocorax Auritus)
• Great Egret (Ardea Alba)
• Turkey Vulture (Cathartes Aura)
• American Crow (Corvus Brachyrhynchos)
• Eastern Phoebe (Sayornis Phoebe)
• Red Tailed Hawk (Buteo Jamaicensis)
• Eastern Meadowlark (Sturnella Magna)
• European Starling (Sturnus Vulgaris)
• Wood Stork (Mycteria Americana)
• Little Blue Heron (Egretta Caerulea)
• White Ibis (Eudocimus Albus)
• Red Bellied Woodpecker (Melanerpes Carolinus)
• Snowy Egret (Egretta Thula))
• Eastern Bluebird (Sialia Sialis)
• Yellow Rumped Warbler (Setophaga Coronata)
• Great Blue Heron (Ardea Herodias)
• Yellow Bellied Sapsucker (Sphyrapicus Varius)
• Seaside Sparrow (Ammodramus Maritimus)
• Wild Turkey (Meleagris Gallopavo)
• Tufted Titmouse (Baeolophus Bicolor)
• Ring Billed Gull (Larus Delawarensis)

Berry and Robert

Photos courtesy of Wikipedia