Birding in the Clemson Bottoms

The university where I work has a long history as an agricultural school, and the Bottoms are the last remnant of the riverine bottomlands along the Seneca River (now Lake Hartwell). 

This is an area that's been productively farmed for a long time, first by the Cherokee, then by Fort Hill plantation owners (John C. Calhoun and Thomas Green Clemson).  After the establishment of Clemson College, this area continued to be an important agricultural field.

Saved from inundation by Lake Hartwell by dikes created in the 60's (I think), the Bottoms are now divided between the Student Organic Farm, the former Aquaculture facility, and agronomic and horticultural research.

It's a great place to go birding, between the fields, ponds, and forest edges.

So in Field Ornithology this morning, we saw everything from Canada Geese, to Eastern Bluebirds, to Wilson's Snipe, to Eastern Meadowlarks.  Not to mention the Great Blue Heron, Sharp-shinned Hawk, Red-tailed Hawk, Song Sparrows, Savannah Sparrows, Yellow-rumped Warblers, Eastern Phoebe, American Robin, Belted Kingfisher, etc.

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Backyard birds

It's fun to become familiar with the common winter birds in our backyard in the mountains.  Carolina Chickadees, Tufted Titmice,  American Goldfinches, House Finches, and Northern Cardinals are regular feeder visitors, along with an occasional White-breasted Nuthatch.  And there are lots of them.

There are plenty of ground-foragers, too: Mourning Doves (six showed up this morning),  Song Sparrows (they visit the feeders, too), and Eastern Towhees.

But the highlight today was the hawk (red-shouldered, maybe?) up in the big red oak in front, calling out.  S/he is a regular around the back ravine, spotting squirrels, rodents, etc.  And the woodpeckers (red-bellied woodpeckers and yellow-bellied sapsuckers) are regulars, too, in the big trees down in the ravine.

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