Coastal South Carolina Birding by Craig Watson

Описание: Salt marshes occur along much of the Southeastern coast where the twice-daily tides alternately flood and drain vast low-lying areas just inland from the ocean. South Carolina has about a half-million acres of salt marsh, more than any other Atlantic coast state. The Ashepoo-Combahee-Edisto (ACE) Basin System, south of Charleston, represents one of the largest undeveloped wetland ecosystems remaining on the Atlantic Coast.

Our presenter Craig Watson is recently retired from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) in the ACE Basin, where he researched avian populations. He is involved with Shorebird Monitoring and Black Rail research, and having worked in South Carolina for over 30 years, he documents arrivals of new birds to the state, like Roseate Spoonbills and Snail Kites.

Thirty-four years ago Craig worked for the U.S. Forest Service in the Francis Marion National Forest when Hurricane Hugo hit and obliterated the population of Red-cockaded Woodpeckers. Craig led the installation of artificial inserts into pine trees, pioneering a technique now widely used to expand populations of this endangered woodpecker.

Craig and his partner Pam Ford lead trips and bird surveys for the Carolina Bird Club, through Ventures Birding Tours, and now for the NORTH SHORE BIRDING FESTIVAL.

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Whimbrel in salt marsh. Photo: David Marano