Finding Birds in South Carolina Finding Birds in South Carolina Robin M. Carter University of South Carolina Press Copyright © 1993 University of South Carolina Published in Columbia, South Carolina, by the University of South Carolina Press Manufactured in the United States of America Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Carter, Robin M., 1945— Finding birds in South Carolina / Robin M. Carter. p. cm. Includes bibliographical references (p. ) and index. ISBN 0-87249-837-9 (paperback : acid-free) 1. Bird watching—South Carolina—Guidebooks. 1. Title. QL684.S6C27 1993 598'.07234757—dc20 92-24400 Contents Part A—General Information A-1 An Introduction to Finding Birds in South Carolina 1 A-1.1 An Overview of the Natural Regions of South Carolina 1 A-1.2 An Overview of the Habitats for Birds in South Carolina 3 A-2 How to Use This Book 9 A-2.1 Organized by County 9 A-2.2 The Best Birding Areas in South Carolina by Season 10 A-2.3 Birding near Major Highways 11 A-3 Other Sources of Information 12 Part 8 — Site Information B-1 Abbeville County 14 B-1.1 Parsons Mountain, Sumter National Forest 14 B-1.2 Long Cane Natural Area, Sumter National Forest 15 B-1.3 Lowndesville Park on Lake Russell 16 13-2 Aiken County 16 B-2.1 Savannah River Bluffs Heritage Preserve 17 B-2.2 Aiken State Park and Vicinity 18 B-2.3 Hitchcock Woods in the Clty of Aiken 19 B-2.4 Beech Island to Silver Bluff 20 B-3 Allendale County 22 B-3.1 A Savannah River Tour (North of US 301) 22 B-3.2 A Savannah River Tour (South of US 301) 24 B-4 Anderson County 25 B-4.1 Sadler's Creek State Park 25 B-4.2 Townville 26 B-4.3 Big Beaverdam Creek 27 6-4.4 The Anderson Airport Area 28 B-5 Bamberg County 28 B-5.1 Rivers Bridge State Park 29 B-5.2 Cathedral Bay 30 11-6 Barnwell County 31 6-6.1 Barnwell State Park and the Blackville Turf Farms 31 B-6.2 Barnwell Airport Wildlife Management Area 32 B-6.3 Lake Edgar Brown 33 B-7 Beaufort County 34 B-7.1 Victoria Bluff Heritage Preserve 34 B-7.2 Pinckney Island National Wildlife Refuge 35 B-7.3 Hilton Head Island 36 6-7.4 Beaufort and Vicinity 37 B-7.5 Broad River and Chechessee River Estuaries 38 B-7.6 Hunting Island State Park 39 Contents B-8 Berkeley County 40 B-8.1 Cainhoy 41 B-8.2 Witherbee Road, Francis Marion National Forest 42 B-8.3 Guilliard Lake, Francis Marion National Forest 42 B-8.4 Sandy Beach Waterfowl Area 43 B-8.5 The Santee Dam (South Side) 44 8-8.6 Cypress Gardens 45 B-8.7 Old Santee Canal State Park 45 B-9 Calhoun County 46 B-9.1 A Calhoun County Sandhills Tour 46 B-9.2 A Calhoun County Farmlands Tour 48 B-10 Charleston County 51 B-10.1 The City of Charleston and Charleston Harbor 51 8-10.2 Mount Pleasant 52 B-10.3 Sullivans Island 53 B-10.4 Palmei-to Islands County Park 55 8-10.5 The Cape Romain National Wildlife Refuge 55 8-10.6 l'on Swamp 57 B-10.7 The Santee Coastal Reserve 58 B-10.8 A Hampton Plantation and Wambaw Creek Tour 59 B-10.9 Guerin Bridge Road 61 B-10.10 East Cooper Airport 62 B-10.11 Folly Island 62 B-10.12 Kiawah Island 64 B-10.13 Magnolia Gardens 65 B-10.14 James Island County Park 66 B-11 Cherokee County 67 B-11.1 Cowpens National Baffleground 67 8-12 Chester County 68 8-12.1 Woods Ferry Recreation Area, Sumter National Forest 69 8-12.2 Worthy's Ferry Wildlife Station 70 B-12.3 Chester State Park 71 8-12.4 Landsford Canal State Park 71 8-12.5 Lake Oliphant 73 8-13 Chesterfield County 73 B-13.1 Carolina Sandhills National Wildlife Refuge 73 B-13.2 Sugar Loaf Mountain, Sand Hills State Forest 76 B-13.3 Cheraw State Park and Fish Hatchery 76 B-14 Clarendon County 77 8-14.1 The Bluff Unit of Santee National Wildlife Refuge 77 8-14.2 The Dingle Pond and Pine Island Units of Santee National Wildlife Refuge 79 8-14.3 The Cuddo Unit of Santee National Wildlife Refuge 81 B-14.4 Taw Caw Creek and the Goat Island Area 82 8-15 Colleton County 83 B-15.1 Bear Island Wildlife Management Area 83 B-15.2 Colleton State Park 86 vi Contents 8-15.3 The Edisto Nature Trail at Jacksonboro 87 B-15.4 Edisto Beach State Park 87 8-15.5 Combahee River Plantations 88 B-16 Darlington County 90 8-16.1 Kalmia Gardens 90 B-16.2 1-95 Detour to the Great Pee Dee River 91 8-17 Dillon County 93 B-17.1 Little Pee Dee State Park 94 8-18 Dorchester County 95 B-18.1 Francis Beidler Forest (Four-Hole Swamp) 95 B-18.2 Givhans Ferry State Park 96 B-18.3 Old Dorchester State Park 96 8-19 Edgefield County 97 8-19.1 Lick Fork Lake Recreation Area, Sumter National Forest 97 B-19.2 Fury's Ferry Recreation Area, Sumter National Forest 98 B-20 Fairfield County 99 8-20.1 Broad River Waterfowl Area 99 8-20.2 Lake Monticello 101 8-20.3 Lake Wateree State Park 102 B-21 Florence County 103 8-21.1 Lynches River State Park 103 8-21.2 Pee Dee Station Boat Ramp 104 B-22 Georgetown County 104 8-22.1 Huntington Beach State Park 105 8-22.2 Brookgreen Gardens 107 13-22.3 The Santee River Delta 108 B-22.4 The Great Pee Dee River 109 8-22.5 The Georgetown Sewage Treatment Plant 110 B-22.6 East Bay and Morgan Parks, Georgetown 111 B-23 Greenville County 112 8-23.1 Caesar's Head State Park 112 B-23.2 Camp Greenville (YMCA) 115 B-23.3 Persimmon Ridge Road 116 8-23.4 Wildcat Wayside Park 117 8-23.5 Jones Gap State Park and Vicinity 117 8-23.6 Pleasant Ridge Park 118 B-23.7 Green Creek and Lake Lanier 118 8-23.8 Paris Mountain 119 B-23.9 Bunched Arrowhead Heritage Preserve 120 B-23.10 Lake Robinson and Lake Cunningham 121 6-23.11 The Reedy River Falls Greenway in Downtown Greenville 122 B-24 Greenwood County 123 8-24.1 Greenwood State Park 123 B-24.2 Ninety Six National Historic Site 124 VII Contents B-25 Hampton County 124 B-25.1 The Savannah River Plantations in Hampton County 125 8-25.2 James K. Webb Wildlife Center 126 B-25.3 Stokes Bluff Landing 127 B-25.4 Lake Warren State Park 128 B-26 Horry County 129 B-26.1 Myrtle Beach State Park 130 B-26.2 Cherry Grove Beach 130 B-26.3 Waccamaw Bridges Heritage Preserve 131 B-27 Jasper County 131 B-27.1 A Western Jasper County Tour 132 B-27.2 Savannah National Wildlife Refuge 134 B-27.3 The Corps of Engineers Savannah Spoil Area 136 B-28 Kershaw County 137 8-28.1 Historic Camden Revolutionary War Park 137 8-28.2 Boykin Mill Pond and Vicinity 138 B-28.3 A Kershaw County Sandhills Tour 139 B-28.4 Lake Wateree Dam (West Side) 142 B-29 Lancaster County 143 B-29.1 Flat Creek Heritage Preserve and Forty-Acre Rock 143 B-29.2 Andrew Jackson State Park 145 B-29.3 Tom G. Mangum Bridge over the Catawba River 145 B-30 Laurens County 145 B-30.1 The Flat Ruff Area 146 B-30.2 Ware Shoals on the Saluda River 147 B-31 Lee County 148 B-31.1 Lee State Park 148 8-31.2 The Lucknow Area 150 8-32 Lexington County 151 8-32.1 The Lake Murray Area 151 B-32.2 The Saluda Hills Area on the Saluda River 152 B-32.3 The Saluda River at Seminole Drive 154 8-32.4 The Saluda River at Garden Valley Lane 154 8-32.5 The Saluda River at Hope Ferry Landing 155 B-32.6 Peachtree Rock Nature Preserve 156 B-32.7 Congaree River Bottomlands along Old State Road 157 B-33 Marion County 157 B-33.1 The Brition's Neck Area 158 B-34 Marlboro County 159 8-34.1 The Welsh Neck Area 159 B-34.2 Lake Wallace in Bennettsville 160 B-35 McCormick County 160 B-35.1 Baker Creek State Park and Hawe Creek Campground 161 B-35.2 Hickory Knob State Park 162 8-35.3 Hamilton Branch State Park 163 VIII Contents B-35.4 Clarks Hill Dam on Lake Thurmond 163 8-35.5 Stevens Creek Heritage Preserve 164 8-35.6 John De La Howe Woods 165 B-35.7 Linkay Creek 166 B-36 Newberry County 166 B-36.1 Billy Dreher island State Park 167 B-36.2 The Broad River Area (From Peak to SC 34) 168 8-36.3 The Broad River Area (From SC 34 to Enoree Waterfowl Management Area) 169 B-36.4 Lynches Woods Park 171 B-37 Oconee County 172 B-37.1 Lake Hartwell State Park 172 8-37.2 Lake Keowee 172 B-37.3 An Oconee County Mountains Tour 174 B-37.4 Stumphouse Tunnel and lssaqueena Falis 177 B-37.5 Oconee State Park 177 B-37.6 Tamassee Road and Tamassee Creek 178 B-37.7 Burrell's Ford and the Chattooga River 179 8-37.8 The Walhalla Fish Hatchery 179 B-37.9 Oconee Station 180 B-38 Orangeburg County 181 B-38.1 Santee State Park 181 B-38.2 Eutaw Springs 182 8-38.3 Orangeburg National Fish Hatchery 183 B-38.4 The Orangeburg Sod Farms 184 B-39 Pickens County 185 8-39.1 Sassafras Mountain 185 8-39.2 Eastatoe Creek Heritage Preserve 188 B-39.3 Lower Eastatoe Creek 188 8-39.4 Keowee-Toxaway State Park 189 B-39.5 Table Rock State Park 190 B-39.6 Pumkintown 190 B-39.7 lssaqueena 191 8-40 Richland County 192 8-40.1 Harbison State Forest 192 B-40.2 Riverbanks Park along the Saluda River 193 8-40.3 Columbia Canal Park 194 B-40.4 Sesquicentennial State Park and Vicinity 195 B-40.5 The Screaming Eagle Road Area 196 B-40.6 Eastern Richland County along US 601 198 B-40.7 St.