On the day that Hurricane Irene blew up our coast, we stayed inside (wisely, we thought). But come to find out, the birders who went out that afternoon got the birds. Those of us who waited until the next morning, well we were too late for all the specialties blown in by the storm. Nonetheless, we enjoyed our birding venture the day after Irene.
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| Storm-weary Snowy Egret -- Charleston Harbor -- August 27, 2011 |
On Sunday, August 27, Carl, our friend Andy and I headed first to Fort Johnson on James Island to see if we could find the birds. The dolphins fishing up and down the bank kept us amused but we certainly did not find any unusual birds -- just the usual Brown Pelicans, terns, gulls, cormorants and egrets struggling with still strong winds in the harbor. So after an hour, we then decided to try the North (or East) End of Folly.
By this time the skies were beginning to clear and the winds were a little less strong. Yet, again, the specialty birds that had reportedly been blown in by the storm must have headed back out to sea long before our arrival. We did see several other birding friends, other late-to-the party folks like us, out on the beach enjoying our usual and perhaps some first-of and last-of-season birds. After all, late August marks the beginning of the Fall migratory season for many species. So what did we see?
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| Ruddy Turnstone -- North Folly Beach -- August 27, 2011 |
Our usual beach birds for August hungrily foraging for a meal included Ruddy Turnstones, newly-arrived Sanderlings, some Semi-Palmated Plovers, the few Wilson Plovers still hanging on before their migration south, a variety of terns, including this small flock of Common Terns.
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| Common Terns in Lighthouse Inlet -- August 27, 2011 |
We also spotted a foolish Northern Mockingbird struggling against the wind out over the inlet waters. I am happy to say that we later saw a bedraggled, worn-out Mockingbird on a snag on the beach and believed he was the same bird and that he had managed his reckless crossing.
And I confess to being rather smitten with this handsome Willet (the Western subspecies, I believe -- which means he also was newly-arrived) gobbling up periwinkles on the jetties. So clickety-click!
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| A Western (?) Willet -- North End of Folly Beach -- August 27, 2011 |
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| A Western (?) Willet -- North End of Folly Beach -- August 27, 2011 |
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| A Western (?) Willet -- North End of Folly Beach -- August 27, 2011 |
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| Western (?) Willet enjoying a brunch of periwinkles -- North End of Folly Beach -- August 27, 2011 |
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| Western Willet close-up -- North End of Folly Beach -- August 27, 2011 |
We also saw a recently-arrived Pectoral Sandpiper who was not willing to pose for a photo! And a small accipiter, too quick for an appropriate ID, even with all the birding folk available, flew right over us! Perhaps we were gabbing too much ....
Then a flutter of yellow in the trees land-side caught the group's attention. Besides the always present non-yellow Carolina Chickadees, we identified a Palm Warbler, some Prairie Warblers and this Summer Tanager.
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| Summer Tanager -- North End of Folly Beach -- August 27, 2011 |
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| Summer Tanager -- North End of Folly Beach -- August 27, 2011 |
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| Summer Tanager -- North End of Folly Beach -- August 27, 2011 |
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| Young Prairie Warbler -- North End of Folly Beach -- August 27, 2011 |
Well, when the next not-so-dangerous hurricane blows up our coast, perhaps we will bravely venture out into the weather sooner, rather than later, to find those off-shore birds blown in by the storm. And then again, maybe we will wait again, dry and cozy, for the next morning's flock of birds, which will delight us all the same! Happy birding everyone!
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