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John's bird photos from South Carolina, 2002 |
My brother John took advantage of a business trip to the east in November by going to some of his favorite bird watching spots in South Carolina. Here are the best of his photos, plus two older ones he sent me, including one taken when I was with him in South Dakota.
PINE WARBLER, one of the few warbler species that winters in the United States, though only in the southeastern region. The earliest in the year that I have ever seen these migrants in Virginia was on February 22, in 1998; late March is a more typical early arrival date. Their name is quite appropriate, since they are almost always seen in or near pine trees except during migration season. (Francis Marion National Forest, SC, November 2002)
HOODED WARBLER, one of the most common warbler species in the Blue Ridge during the summer, as one can tell by their loud, piercing song. However, they are often very hard to spot, since they lurk in the underbrush. Little if any trace of the black "hood" is found on females and juveniles. (Cherokee National Forest, TN, Summer 2000)
BROWN-HEADED NUTHATCH, a very small and rather uncommon species that is only found in pine forests in the southeastern United States. Like its bigger cousin, the white-breasted nuthatch (which is common throughout the easten half of the country), it is non-migratory. (Francis Marion National Forest, SC, November 2002)
OYSTERCATCHERS, a distinctive shorebird that is found all year along the Atlantic and Gulf coasts. I caught a glimpse of one of these at the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel in November. (Huntington Beach State Park, SC, November 2002)