Eastern Road Trip Nets Three Rare Nesters for the Carolinas, May 17, 2020

In February I noticed an eBird report of a Barn Owl to my east in Lattimore, NC.  That’s one I need for my NC list, so at first I was disappointed that the specific location for the bird was not provided.  But then again it’s best not to include locations of roosting or nesting owls to protect them from too much harassment.  Then in early Spring I met birder Bill Hooker from Cleveland County who had mentioned he had stakeout locations for Barn Owls.  Lo and behold he was the eBirder that reported one back in February.  He invited me to come visit one day to give it a try, though he stressed that perhaps I had just a 50/50 chance to see the Owls on any trip. 

I decided I’d wait until the Spring migration season was over to make the road trip to look for the Barn Owls.  So as migration was winding down I started to make my plans to visit Bill.  And while monitoring eBird I noticed reports of two rare breeders just a short distance southeast of me in the Upstate of SC – Dickcissel, and no less than 2 pairs of Scissor-tailed Flycatcher.  Perhaps I could make it into one longer trip, first into SC then a bit farther east into Cleveland County, NC.  But wait there’s more…  Two days before my trip a Wilson’s Warbler was spotted by my SC birding friend Michael Robertson in Greenville, SC, close to the Dickcissel and Flycatcher locations.  The Wilson’s was re-spotted the day before my trip, so now I had 4 targets.  The plan was to start with the Wilson’s, then off to try for the Dickcissels, then on to 1 or both Flycatcher spots, and then finally try for the Owls in the afternoon.

The Wilson’s Warbler was seen at a small hotspot in the Greenville suburbs called the Parkway Retention Pond.  Not only did it of course include a retention pond but also a trail at the edge of brushy woods along the back edge which is where the Wilson’s had been spotted.  Actually based on eBird photos it looked like there were at least 2 birds – both a female and a male had been photographed there.  I arrived by 7:30 and started slowly walking along the short trail.  The spot was rather birdy, but I could find no warblers at all.  It was now 9 AM which was my planned departure time, but it was tough to leave my first target of the day after an unsuccessful search.  I wanted to have enough time for my other targets, but what if I ended up getting the others quickly?  I would end up kicking myself for not having spent enough time trying for the Wilson’s.  However, given that the retention pond was pretty small, I felt like I had covered it quite well even in just 90 minutes.  So I stuck with my original plans and left at 9 AM.  It turns out that the Wilson’s were not re-found; I guess I made the right decision to not extend my search for the Warblers.

The next targets were the Dickcissels.  Per the National Geographic Field Guide, Dickcissels are “irregular east of the Appalachians; occasional breeding is reported outside mapped range.”  That was certainly the case in the Upstate of SC where Dickcissels were recent breeders in several locations.  There were several reports of likely breeding birds down in Anderson County, but the closest reliable location (just 15 minutes from the retention pond) appeared to be on Snow Mill Drive in Woodruff, with eBird reports dating back to 2018.  After the short drive I was now really close to Snow Mill, and as I pulled up to a stop sign I heard the characteristic song of the Dickcissel.  (Of course I was driving with my windows open listening for birdsong!)  But wait – I wasn’t at Snow Mill Drive yet.  I parked safely and looked at the map – I was still a quarter mile from Snow Mill.  I got out and walked toward the singing bird, nicely perched in a small roadside tree adjacent to a hayfield.  I got this barely passable photo holding my phone up to my binocs.  

As I tried for a better photo another bird flew into that same tree – it was a female Dickcissel.  And then I heard a second Dickcissel singing a short distance away.  Nice to find a new location for Dickcissel, though there was one reported from this location back in 2018 by another of my SC birding friends Gary Harbour.

Then again perhaps the Snow Mill birds had relocated to this spot.  After a quick “high-five” I drove a short distance to Snow Mill and almost instantly heard a Dickcissel there as well.  I only spent a few minutes here, but heard at least 2 singing males.  I also heard Bobwhites here – a bird I haven’t heard in years as they have become extirpated in New England (where I’ve done much of my birding recently) and their numbers have dropped dramatically even in more southern locations.  I also had a Bobolink here which is not supposed to be breeding this far south.  Perhaps it was a last holdout from a large likely migrating flock that was reported here recently.  And along with typical grassland birds like 8 Grasshopper Sparrows, 2 Meadowlarks, and 2 Blue Grosbeaks, it was a great stop!

Dickcissel was #266 for my SC statelist.  In my statebird map below, the blue-shaded states are those where I’ve seen Dickcissel in its regular range; the cross-hatched states are those where I still need this species.  The tan-shaded states are those where I’ve seen this species as a rarity, at least based on Sibley’s range maps.  Those maps indicate that Dickcissel is a regular winterer on the Mid-Atlantic coast, but a rarity in a number of others in the east and northeast.  Though some might argue that Dickcissel is regular in many of these locations, including SC.

With Dickcissel nicely checked-off, it was time to try for Scissor-tailed Flycatcher.  Amazingly there were not 1 but 2 pairs of Scissor-tails in northwestern SC this year.  Plus 4 birds likely nesting near Rock Hill.  One pair in Cherokee County to the east had already started nesting in the same location where nesting occurred last year.  A second closer pair was more recently discovered in Spartanburg County along Thompson Creek Drive near the town of Boiling Springs, though many eBirders commented on having just brief views of the bird(s).  Although this was a new location, last year they nested just a short distance away, so perhaps this was the same pair returning to the general area.  The Cherokee County birds were likely more reliable since a nest had been located.  But then again, that was on private property and viewing was apparently from a considerable distance.  Since I was now ahead of schedule I figured I could first try for the closer albeit perhaps less reliable birds, and then if I struck out there, I could try for the more eastern birds.  And both stops would require just short side-trips in route to Lattimore, NC to try for the Barn Owls.

After a short drive I pulled onto Thompson Creek Drive and quickly located the single house on the road - a couple posts mentioned the Flycatchers were perching on wires opposite that house.  I stopped a short distance away so as not to disturb any birds that might be near the house.  And with a quick binocular view there was a Scissor-tailed Flycatcher perched on the wires opposite the house, just as described in recent posts.  And perhaps just a minute later the bird flew to tall trees surrounding the house and disappeared.  I was hoping for better views, so I drove to the other side of the house and started to search from there.  I noticed some movement in the field to the west and spotted both Flycatchers flying to and from the treelines.  And then watched the birds fly to the cell tower and the chain-link fence surrounding the tower.  They would often go to the same area part-way up the tower – wonder if that might become a future nesting site.  I got these phonescoped photos of one of the birds on two of its favorite perches.

And while watching the Flycatchers this Grasshopper Sparrow perched up most cooperatively.

I texted Michael Robertson about my success with my last 2 targets, and he responded with a quote from Meat Loaf – “two out of three ain’t bad”.  So true, especially since the Wilson’s Warbler was a long shot at best.

In my statebird map below I’ve seen Scissor-tailed Flycatcher in all its regular south-central breeding states, and less common wintering state of FL, plus now 5 eastern states as a rarity. 

Now with Scissor-tailed Flycatcher added to my SC stateliest as #267, I didn’t need to look for the pair in Cherokee County.  So it was off to meet up with Bill Hooker and his wife Anita to try for their Barn Owls.  After crossing the stateline into NC and driving through similar agricultural areas I couldn’t help but wonder why there were no breeding Dickcissels and Scissor-tailed Flycatchers nearby in my home state.  The nearest Dickcissels were east of Charlotte nearly 2 hours away.  And there were no Scissor-tails, at all.  Though after my trip, on May 23rd, there was a tantalizing report of a flyby bird in Cleveland County.  Hmmm…

Just after lunchtime I met up with Bill and Anita in “downtown” Lattimore.  They described how they had found Barn Owls for a number of years in various former agricultural buildings scattered throughout the area.  Though they once again stressed that the birds might only be found on half their trips.  We hopped in our cars and I followed them to our first stop west of Lattimore.  We pulled up to an old building where a couple months ago a birder was able to find many fresh owl pellets though no birds.  We walked slowly around the perimeter, trying to peer into any opening we could find, but didn’t happen on any Owls.  Nor did we find any fresh pellets.  Perhaps the Owls were no longer using this building to roost.

Next we headed off to the north near Polkville to another former agricultural building.  A birder had recently found 2 Barn Owls at this location so we were hopeful.  First we sized up the building – seeing a couple likely openings where Owls might come and go.  Then we poked our heads into one open window without any luck.  We continued around the side of the building and noticed a pair of doors that could be opened.  So I headed over to start to slide one of the doors open.  Just then Bill yelled that he had an Owl flying away from the building.  We all quickly looked over and there was a Barn Owl flying from the building to the nearby trees.  And just after it landed a second Owl flew from one nearby tree to another tree – that one must has flown from the building a bit earlier and we hadn’t noticed it.  I wouldn’t have seen the birds at all if I had been there on my own.  Thanks Bill and Anita for all your help!

Barn Owl was #296 for my NC list.  And NC is my 25th state for this quite common species, though often a challenging one to locate.

If Meat Loaf thought that “two out of three ain’t bad”, then three out of four must be pretty darn good!

Olive-sided Flycatcher – Yardbird!, May 14, 2020

Last Fall during the excellent migration season in my yard I had a larger flycatcher that perched for a while at the top of a dead snag.  It was dark above and vested below.  Olive-sided, right?  The only problem was it didn’t seem large enough to be able to eliminate the resident Pewees or maybe a migrant Phoebe.  Though arguably, if it was a Pewee it would have been a Western Pewee with that vested look.  In retrospect, I’m not really sure why I didn’t conclude it was an Olive-sided.

Then on May 13th I pursued an Olive-sided Flycatcher reported at the Biltmore Estate in Asheville.  I missed it by less than a minute, but then stayed for another 3 hours unsuccessfully waiting for it to return.  Then again maybe it did return.  Halfway through my vigil I spotted a large dark flycatcher flying across the river, leaving the Biltmore side roughly even with the island where the Olive-sided had been seen previously.  I followed it in my binocs as it continued across the river and land in a tree on the far side.  Even though I could see it perched, given that it was roughly 500 feet away I couldn’t be sure of the ID.  It could well have been the Olive-sided, but I couldn’t eliminate Phoebe, even though no one had reported one in the immediate area.

So the next morning when I started my daily “Big Sit” in my back yard I couldn’t help but think I could have already seen Olive-sided Flycatcher in NC - not once, but twice.  I settled in and quickly ticked off the local breeders that were here daily, like Baltimore Oriole, Hooded Warbler, Wood Thrush, Scarlet Tanager, and Eastern Pewee.  And there was still a smattering of late migrant warblers like Redstart, Blackpoll, and Chestnut-sided, plus a Swainson’s Thrush.  A typical morning on the back deck…

And then I heard a call coming from the top of the canopy that I didn’t instantly recognize – two clear plaintive notes, the first higher in pitch than the second.  Then it hit me –it was the last 2 notes of the Olive-sided’s “quick three beers” song.  I listened intently for it to sing again – but to no avail.  I searched the bare snag where last Fall’s bird had perched, and all the other possible tall perches I could see, but again no luck. 

Now I started second-guessing myself.  I’m very familiar with the song of the Olive-sided, which is quite diagnostic.  But just maybe it was the second half of a Pewee’s song – the one that drops in pitch.  But I could hear my resident (likely breeding) Pewee singing at the time far east of the house a hundred yards away.  Plus when would you hear a Pewee just give one snippet of one song?  Not to mention that call is quite different from the “three beers” notes.  And what about the fact that I didn’t hear the Olive-sided’s first “quick” note?  I’ve heard other Olive-sided’s singing where the first note was very difficult or impossible to hear because the bird was farther away, or there was too much other bird song in the area.  Then again, maybe I just didn’t notice it that day in my back yard. 

My gut/initial ID is almost always correct, and I couldn’t come up with other likely options.  So at the end of the day I decided to go with my initial ID and conclude it was a less-than-cooperative Olive-sided Flycatcher.  I just wish it had called again.  Or better yet – sat in the open for me to see my first Olive-sided for the state.  Then again, perhaps I had already seen Olive-sided twice before in western NC…

Olive-sided Flycatcher was #295 for my NC statelist.  In my statebird map below the blue-shaded states are those where I’ve seen this species; cross-hatched states are the ones where it is regular but I haven’t caught up with it yet.  This species is generally rare in the east, and especially in the southeast where its migration routes just barely cut across the northern part of the region.  As a result, I still need it in quite a number of eastern states.

The Olive-sided was an amazing 125th species for the yard list.  This has been a spectacular Spring in the yard with many additions to my yard list including-
4/5 - Black Vulture - since then seen most sunny days; Rough-winged Swallow

4/6 - Great Blue Heron - flyover

4/8 - Common Loon – flyover in breeding plumage; Prairie Warbler
4/14 - Worm-eating Warbler, Palm Warbler, Red-shouldered Hawk  
4/16 - Orange-crowned Warbler
4/20 - Fish Crow
4/21 – Mallard, Purple Martin
4/24 - Orchard Oriole, Red-headed Woodpecker
4/27 - Summer Tanager
5/1 - Cerulean Warbler
5/2 - Veery
5/3 - Barn Swallow
5/4 - Kentucky Warbler
5/6 - Short-billed Dowitcher, Lesser Yellowlegs
5/13- Yellow Warbler

A few of these really stand out -

Red-headed Woodpecker – I’ve had one in my yard 3 times now, often enough to make me think they could be nesting nearby.  On one of my walks up the mountain I played some tape and got one to instantly respond.  Since then I’ve heard a bird calling from above the yard numerous times.  And a couple of those times there were 2 calling birds.  I need to head up there one day this summer to try to locate a nesting tree.

Summer Tanager – Back in my New England days Summer Tanager was a rarity I searched for often in early spring as an overshooting migrant.  So when I heard its 2-note “chick it” call in the yard, it brought back fond memories of a successful northeast Tanager search.  And the bird was a young 2-toned red/yellow bird which was often the case for the New England birds as well. 

Shorebird Flock – I have a tree in my yard that budded out this spring, but then those buds never opened.  Early that morning I was searching through the canopy of that tree with my binoculars in hopes that I could find at least some of the buds opening up just when a flock of large shorebirds flew into my binocular field.  I was able to get an extended view of the flock as I followed them across the sky in the distance and concluded I had about 10 Lesser Yellowlegs and 1 Dowitcher, which was most likely a Short-billed.  I doubt I would have ever seen these birds if I hadn’t been inspecting the tree buds.  Boy was I lucky.  Unfortunately the tree wasn’t as lucky – I’m pretty sure it has died. 

Yellow Warbler – that was my 29th warbler species for the yard list in less than a year, with 26 species this Spring and 22 species last Fall.  There aren’t too many more possibilities, with perhaps Wilson’s, Connecticut, Mourning, and Swainson’s being the most likely.  My yard is pretty dry, so it’s not likely I’ll ever get other more remote possibilities from wetter habitats like Northern and Louisiana Waterthrush, or Prothonotary.  But then again, who knows.

Like I said, it’s been a spectacular Spring in the yard.

Missed My Two Target Birds But Still Got a Statebird, Biltmore Estate, NC, May 13, 2020

The local Blue Ridge Birders text group had been abuzz reporting on good numbers of migrants at the Biltmore Estate, highlighted by a report from Aaron Steed of 85 species in just 4 hours.  Interestingly, this came at a time when migration had slowed in my yard.  Then early on the May 13th came a report of an Olive-sided Flycatcher there, with very specific information on the location.  Since things were slow in my yard, and most importantly since I had an annual pass for the Biltmore, I decided to give it a try.  Though first I had to make a reservation to access the grounds, and luckily there were openings for the very next hour.  And just before I hit the road I got directions to the Black-billed Cuckoo spotted there the previous day.  Both birds had been spotted close to the Lagoon, so with a bit of luck I could possibly come up with 2 possible statebird targets in the same general area.

I arrived at the Lagoon within an hour of the sighting of the Olive-sided, and joined several other birders already on site.  And we soon found the exposed perches where the bird had been spotted on an island in the river.  But unfortunately there was no Flycatcher, as least not right now.  There were plenty of potential perches and habitat in the area, so after a couple minutes we decided to split up and cover more area up and down the river.  I decided to head down river toward yesterday’s Cuckoo location – maybe I could run into both birds.  How lucky would that be?

Just a few minutes later I got a text that the Olive-sided had returned to its original perches on the island.  Although I instantly started to run back to the Olive-sided, it took a lot longer than I had expected – I had covered at lot of territory.  I finally made it back to the island, but unfortunately the bird had just left a few seconds earlier.  Alas, the Cuckoo search took me too far away from the Olive-sided spot and cost me the Flycatcher.  As Maxwell Smart used to say – “Missed it by that much.”  (And by the way, I never even made it to the location where the Cuckoo was seen the previous day.)  Ugh…

The good news was the bird was still around, and it certainly had preferred perches.  So I decided to just stay at the island to wait for the bird to return.  About an hour later I received a text that a Wilson’s Warbler had just been spotted near the other end of the Lagoon, within just a couple hundred yards from where I waited for the Flycatcher to return.  I needed the Warbler for my statelist as well, and started to wonder if I should give up on the Flycatcher to try for the Warbler.  There had been no sightings of the Flycatcher in an hour, and the Warbler had just been spotted.  But I decided to stick with the Flycatcher search as it was the rarer of the two.

My vigil was now going on 2 hours still with no sightings.  And just then I spotted a large dark flycatcher flying across the river, leaving the Biltmore side roughly even with the island.  I followed it in my binocs as it continued across the river and land in a tree on the far side.  It was pretty far away – roughly 500 feet – and I couldn’t be sure of the ID.  It was large and darker above, and it could well have been the Olive-sided.  Though I couldn’t eliminate Phoebe.  Then again no one had spotted a Phoebe in the area.  And I would think that if a Phoebe had been nearby I would have heard it calling before its flight across the river.  A maybe – but not definitive.

At 2 PM I finally threw in the towel on the Olive-sided after a 3-hour wait.  I had not only missed the 2 previously reported targets (1 by less than a minute), but also hadn’t chased after the Wilson’s Warbler.  On a whim I decided to head back to the area where the Warbler was reported, even though it had been 2 hours since I had received the text.  On the way I ran into Bob Butler who said he just had a female Wilson’s at the original location.  With renewed optimism I went to the spot where Bob had his bird but could only find Redstarts.  Once again dejected, but undeterred, I walked a bit further along the river’s edge in nice brushy wet habitat and spotted a glimpse of yellow.  A second later I had a male Wilson’s Warbler in my binocs! 

Wilson’s Warbler was #294 for my NC statelist.  In my statebird map below, the blue-shaded states are those where I’ve seen this species; cross-hatched states are those where it is regular though I’ve yet to see it.  I still need this species in a number of eastern states, as it is much more common in the west.

I briefly thought about returning to the favored perches of the Olive-sided, but decided I had given that one enough of a try.  I may have missed my initial key targets, but at least I was still able to find one new unexpected statebird.  It was a bittersweet trip, though I can only imagine how I would have felt if I hadn’t been able to re-find the Wilson’s Warbler.

Least Bittern – a Rarity in Western North Carolina, May 11, 2020

Early morning on May 11th I received a text from the local western NC text group that a Least Bittern had been found at Beaver Lake Bird Sanctuary in Asheville by Aaron Steed.  Then a couple minutes later another text came across – there was a Wilson’s Warbler there too.  I need both birds for my NC state list.  Plus Least Bittern is quite a rarity locally.  So minutes later I was out the door and heading to Beaver Lake.

I arrived at the park within an hour of the initial sighting, and soon was at the South Overlook as suggested in the text.  There was another birder already there, though the bird had not been seen since that first sighting.  On a positive note, he had gotten the specific details on the location from Aaron – the Bittern was seen among the vegetation at the edge of the creek just a short distance away.  There seemed to be pretty limited habitat for a Bittern, so I was hopeful that it didn’t go far.  But the vegetation that was there was pretty thick and more than enough for an elusive Bittern to hide in.  Ever the optimist, I started my vigil scanning the vegetation waiting for the Bittern to reappear.

It had been about 30 minutes since I started my search, and there were now 3 or 4 other birders on site.  The most excitement we had was when a Green Heron flew into that same area of the creek.  For a second or two we thought that we had the Bittern, but it was certainly not its smaller, browner cousin.  A couple minutes later the Green Heron flew off behind the creek and disappeared behind a tree line.  Was there a larger marsh back there out of view?  Could that mean there was a lot more habitat for the Bittern to be foraging in?  I briefly thought about changing my search to look for the Wilson’s Warbler, but realized I should maintain my focus on the much rarer target instead.

I now repositioned myself a short distance away to the North Overlook, getting me closer to the creek and giving me a different set of angles into the creek edge.  Other birders walked a short distance up the creek to get different views as well.  And just then I heard local birder Jay Wherley say that he had the bird.  Within seconds I was about 20 feet farther up the creek peering into the thickets.  After some anxious moments I finally noticed the tawny brown and yellow colors of the target Least Bittern, just a few feet away but mostly obscured by the vegetation.  I got this barely passable phonescoped photo of the bird as it perched motionless in the brush.  Just a minute later the bird had disappeared back in the vegetation – we got the bird just in time.

Least Bittern was #293 for my NC statelist.  In my statebird map below, the blue-shaded states are those where I’ve seen this species; cross-hatched states are those where it is regular though I’ve yet to see it.  And the 2 tan states, NV and NH, are those where I’ve seen Least Bittern as a rarity.  In both states it wasn’t my first time searching for this elusive species – I remember those searches well! 

With a bit of research I found only 6 previous eBird records of Least Bittern in western NC, with several of these records going back to the 1980’s.  It sure was quite a local rarity. 

After a bit of well-deserved celebration, I started my search for the Wilson’s Warbler.  Almost the entire park has low wet habitat which is ideal for this species so I was hopeful.  But despite 3 hours slowly wandering through this small park looking and listening for the bird, I came up empty.  I’m sure glad I maintained my focus on the key goal - the Least Bittern.

Willow Flycatcher Chase Yields a Wilson’s Phalarope, Henderson County, NC, May 8, 2020

Willow Flycatcher was one of the many species on my NC “needs list” when I moved to the NC mountains.  Willows nest in limited numbers in western NC, and are occasional migrants through the area.  Three times last September I had a “Traill’s” Flycatcher pass through my yard.  Not surprisingly these birds were silent, hence my ID as “Traill’s”.  Back in the 90’s, while birding literally right at the NC/TN stateline in the Smokies, I had nesting Alder Flycatcher in NC, so seeing silent Traill’s Flycatchers wasn’t sufficient to add a bird to my NC statelist.  By comparison in SC, when I moved to the area I needed both Willow and Alder Flys.  In fall 2019 I had a couple silent Traill’s, so I was able to add Traill’s to my SC statelist.  Hopefully someday I will be able to hear singing Willows or Alders in SC so I can update that statelist to replace Traill’s with one or more specific IDs.

While birding around the area this past winter, several birders told me stories of recent Willow Fly nesting locations in nearby NC.  Several mentioned one specific ditch at the Sod Farm, but the vegetation had since been cut down.  And a couple mentioned a site at the Mills River park which apparently was still viable.  In addition, I found a local spot in Fletcher along Rockwell Drive with some excellent wetland habitat complete with a nice patch of willow trees – likely ideal for Willow Fly.  And I thought I heard one on a trip there at the end of April, but I couldn’t quite get it to cooperate enough to confirm it.  Then on May 6th local birder Kevin Burke reported that Willow Flycatcher was back at the Mills River park.  Probably no reason to rush right out there as they would likely be nesting, but I probably shouldn’t wait too long and go out there to look for them as soon as I had the opportunity.

That opportunity came the morning of the 8th which turned out to be a somewhat slow morning for migrants in my yard.  It had been tough to tear myself away from my excellent yard birds, but with nothing moving by mid-morning, it was time to take a short road trip to try for the Willow Flycatcher.  On my way to the Mills River park I realized I would pass right by a flooded field on Route 191 where Kevin had reported “a ton” of shorebirds 2 days earlier.  I imagined those individuals would be long gone, but who knows what I might find.  I wasn’t quite sure where the flooded field was, but I’d probably figure it out.  (I bet you were wondering how Wilson’s Phalarope would come into the picture…)

Just after I crossed over French Broad River on Route 191 I pulled over onto a wide shoulder on the east-bound side of the road.  There was a small pond in a low spot in a corn field in the distance which did indeed looked inviting.  It was pretty windy and quite chilly for early May, so I stayed seated behind the wheel and held my scope on my lap for a warmer look out to the pond.  The first birds I saw were a few Yellowlegs, and then I noticed a few small peeps.  Then I spotted a tall long-legged shorebird that was a bit smaller than the Yellowlegs with a gray back.  I increased the power on my scope and noticed shades of pink on the bird’s long neck – did I have a Wilson’s Phalarope?  I adjusted myself for better viewing, but then couldn’t refind the bird.  Did it fly?  Were my eyes playing tricks on me and it was just a Yellowlegs?  Then a minute later the bird re-appeared giving me long views – it was a breeding plumage male Wilson’s Phalarope.  Now the bird was running around in classic Phalarope fashion, both on the mud and in and out of the grasses.  Although the bird was not seen later that day, it returned for several birders to see it on the 9th and 10th. 

And good thing the weather was so cool and gloomy on the day I spotted the Phalarope – I went back and saw it again on the 9th on a sunny and warmer day and the heat shimmer made viewing challenging to say the least.  Not sure I would have first noticed the bird in the distance under those conditions.

I didn’t realize how rare Wilson’s Phalarope was in the area until checking eBird that night – there were only 6 prior western NC records in eBird.  And I also didn’t realize until later that I needed Wilson’s Phalarope for my NC statelist.  Years ago I had done a lot of shorebirding on the NC Outer Banks and had just assumed I had seen this species on one of those trips.  Instead it was #291 for my NC list, and a completely unexpected bonus bird. 

My statebird map for Wilson’s Phalarope is inserted below – solid blue-shaded states are those where I’ve seen this species; cross-hatched states are those where it is regular but I still haven’t caught up with it.  The numerous tan-colored states throughout the east are the ones where I’ve seen Wilson’s Phalarope as a rarity, though it is regular very locally in several of these.

With that excitement behind me, it was time to move on to the Mills River park to search for my original target – the more mundane Willow Flycatcher.  I had heard that the bird was in a thick grove of trees on the right just after you enter the park.  When I got out of the car I realized the weather conditions that helped me find the Phalarope weren’t exactly ideal for finding a flycatcher – their food isn’t very active on cold, raw days, so the flycatchers aren’t either.  I listened intently at the edge of the grove but didn’t hear or see the target bird.  I then took a short walk along a wet tree-lined ditch leading from the grove, but still no luck.

I returned to the grove resolved to the reality that I would just have to come back on a warmer day.  But just then I heard a single harsh “whit” call.  That was likely the Willow, but I needed confirmation.  I walked into the interior of the grove and heard several more “whit” call notes.  And then finally got good visuals of the little non-descript Empid with next to no eye-ring.  I could check off the Willow Flycatcher as #292 for my NC list.  As shown in my statebird map below I only need this species in 5 more states where it is regular, plus GA and SC where it would replace an unidentified “Traill’s” on those lists.

It was quite a day – certainly nice to get your target bird, and even better to find a totally unexpected rarity as well.

Filling 3 Gaps in My South Carolina State Bird List, Upstate SC, April 19, 2020

Before moving to the mountains of NC I put together lists of species that were regular in the western counties of both NC and SC that I needed for those 2 state lists.  Despite having made several birding trips to both states over the years, there are still a number of relatively easy species that I need for both lists, not to mention numerous rarities.  And of course, now that this is my home base, it was time to try to fill these gaps in my lists. 

Most of these regular needed species are not year-round residents – it’s less likely that I would have missed year-round species in my past trips.  Instead, most are only seen in specific seasons, and/or in limited habitats.  And now that we were getting into Spring, it was time to see what warmer weather species I might still need.  In SC, there were 3 relatively easy species that breed not too far from my NC home – Worm-eating and Swainson’s Warblers, and Grasshopper Sparrow.  Though each species has a rather limited preferred breeding habitat. 

Just as the Spring birds were starting to arrive I noticed that my SC birding friend Michael Robertson had reported a number of Worm-eating Warblers in northern Greenville County not far from the SC/NC line.  In fact, after a bit of research, it turned out they were right at the state line, at a spot called Saluda Mountain Passage.  I reached out to Michael and got some tips from him on his Worm-eaters.  And then he mentioned that in the past he had had Swainson’s Warblers just a short distance from that spot.  With a bit of eBird research I found several Swainson’s reports over the years in the woodlands nearby called the Greenville Watershed.  Though none had been reported yet this year.  Swainson’s Warbler was a key target of mine for the region, as I’ve never seen it in the local mountainous habitat anywhere in the US.  And my 3rd target, the Grasshopper Sparrow, had returned to Hayes Farm just a short distance to the south.  This was another spot that Michael birded regularly, and in fact he took me there this past winter.  So with leads on all 3 species, I was hopeful I could get multiple SC statebirds in just one trip. 

I was out of the house early on April 19th and after a short ride arrived at the Saluda Mountain Passage.  As soon as I got out of the car I was greeted with lots of bird song – I listened intently but couldn’t instantly check off the Worm-eating.  That would be a bit too much to ask for I guess.  There was a map of the trail right next to the parking area – I was at the “i” near the bottom of the map where Mountain Page Rd. in NC changes to Saluda Rd. when it enters SC.  It looked like the trail started right on the SC/NC line, and at times moved into NC.  

That meant that even if I was lucky enough to find a Worm-eating I’d still have to make sure it was in SC.  I started down the trail and continued to hear lots of birdsong – featuring Wood Thrush, Ovenbird, and Black-throated Green Warbler.  And then I heard a buzzy trill characteristic of my target Worm-eating Warbler.  It was coming from up ahead and on the left side of the trail, likely making it in SC.  But just to be sure, I walked a bit farther ahead and was able to confirm the song was indeed coming from SC.  Only 5 minutes into my birding trip and I already had my first state bird!

In my statebird map below, the solid blue states are those where I’ve seen Worm-eating Warbler within its regular range.  The cross-hatched states are those where it is regular but I have yet to catch up with it.  And finally the two tan states of MN and NH are those where I’ve seen Worm-eating as a rarity.

Within a couple minutes I was back to my car and beginning to drive down Saluda Rd. within the Greenville Watershed.  The road paralleled Fall Creek for about 3 miles going through excellent habitat, with riparian woodland near the creek principally on the west side of the road.  And on the east side of the road were steep mountainsides, often with large groves of rhododendrons – the perfect habitat for Swainson’s Warbler.  Or at least that’s what I’ve been told since I’ve never encountered Swainson’s in these inland ecosystems.  There were no houses and almost no passing cars making for perfect conditions.  You aren’t allowed to park and hike through this sensitive watershed area, so my strategy was to drive very slowly (and quietly in my Prius) with windows down to listen for birdsong.  And when there were wide shoulders I would pull over, stand next to my car, and listen for 5-10 minutes or until I figured I had heard and seen everything in the area.  As a result, it was almost as if I walked the entire length of the road tallying the birds as I went.

This strategy seemed to be ideal as the woods were alive with song, and I quickly added numerous vireos and warblers.  But of course my key target was the Swainson’s Warbler.  Before my trip I had listened to tapes of the very similar songs of the  Swainson’s and Louisiana Waterthrush, and continued to struggle with separating the songs.  The first 3 clear notes of the 2 songs seemed almost inseparable.  So I was thinking it would come down to the softer notes at the end of the song – Swainson’s has clear “whip poor will” notes; while the Waterthrush has jumbled/varied notes.  At least that’s the case for the typical calls.  In the previous couple weeks I had heard Waterthrushes giving clear notes like whip poor will as well.  Then again, maybe those were more distant birds where the softer notes weren’t easy to hear.

I also think I was getting a better handle on the preferred habitats of the 2 species.  Swainson’s prefers steep mountain-side ravines filled with rhododendrons, often with a small creek flowing at the bottom.  And an article I read said that they need hemlocks as well.  By comparison, in my experience with Louisiana Waterthrushes, they prefer larger streams/rivers, which are not nearly as steep – and that has been the case locally this spring as well.  Most of the steep ravines I’ve found which I think are good Swainson’s habitat have small creeks that flow into the larger/flatter rivers below already inhabited by a singing Waterthrush.  My expectation was that I’d hear a Swainson’s singing from above me up a ravine, and a Waterthrush singing below me along the larger river.

If I was correct on the preferred habitats, the riparian side of the road should be classic Louisiana Waterthrush habitat.  And the other side of the road with frequent large patches of rhododendrons on a steep hillside should be ideal for Swainson’s.  So if I was correct , I’d have Waterthrushes on the right and Swainson’s on the left. 

Now back to the Greenville Watershed - There were indeed a number of Waterthrushes singing classic songs in the deciduous lowlands.  And then I finally heard a candidate Swainson’s song on the left up a rhododendron-lined ravine.  And at that same spot there was also what I presumed to be a Waterthrush singing just below me in the deciduous area.  But both songs sounded the same, and not classic for either species – something in between.  I listened to both for a while and played tape of both species but neither responded.  Although I wanted to say I had 1 of each based on habitat, I wasn’t sure. 

A bit further along I came upon 2 birds singing in the riparian area really close together – again similar songs in between classic versions of each one.  My first thought was that 2 breeding birds of the same species wouldn’t allow competing males to be so close together.  Could these be 1 of each species?  I played Swainson’s tape and instantly got a response – a skulking bird with strong call notes – though again both species have similar sharp call notes.  Then it popped into the open and was a Swainson’s – but still in the riparian area, though quite close to a rhododendron hillside.  I assumed I had 1 of each.  About 50 yards farther along I heard song on the left in rhododendrons.  Still not the classic whip poor will notes at the end though.  I played a bit of Swainson’s tape and instantly got 2 Swainson’s to pop into the open.  I guessed that the male was the same bird that I had heard just a few minutes earlier. 

I ended up with 9 singing Louisiana Waterthrushes and assumed I had 3 Swainson’s.  Interestingly, another birder came through the same area a bit later that day and also reported 3 Swainson’s.  His were by song only, with the songs all coming from up the hillsides.

And speaking of the singing locations for these 2 species - I've only heard Louisiana Waterthrushes sing from their riparian habitat.  While I've now heard Swainson's Warbler sing multiple times in that same riparian habitat, though each time very close to its preferred rhododendron thickets.

My Swainson’s Warbler statebird map is below – I still need this elusive species in quite a number of its regular states.  Though I was happy to hear it years ago as an exceptionally rare stakeout in MA.

I ended up with 15 warbler species – 9 other nesters (8 Ovenbird, 7 Black and White, 1 Kentucky, 13 Hooded, 5 Redstart, 7 Parula, 1 BT Blue, 3 Yellow-throated, 17 BT Green) and 3 migrants – a very confused Blue-winged (in all the wrong habitat), 1 Yellow-rump, and 2 Orange-crowns.  And I can’t forget the 9 Worm-eating Warblers – I didn’t need to make that first stop afterall.

As a post-script to my Swainson’s Warbler experience, I was back at the Greenville Watershed a week later as part of the Greenville County Spring Migration Count.  I had a whopping 7 Swainson’s that day, which I’m told is a new record for Greenville County.  I spent LOTS of time listening to their songs, including one spot where a Waterthrush was within 25 feet of a Swainson’s, both singing back and forth nearly non-stop.  And I’m feeling much better about the differences.  I think I can even hear the differences between those first notes.   Here are my thoughts on separating the songs –

Swainson’s Warbler-

“Seeeer seeeer seer whip poor will it”

Initial notes clearer/sweeter and a bit higher-pitched than Louisiana’s

First 2 notes longer than the third, and the first 3 notes drop in pitch a bit  

Louisiana Waterthrush -

“Seer seer seer it whip poor will it it”

Initial notes a bit lower-pitched than Swainson’s

3 initial notes identical in length and pitch; a bit more metallic than Swainson’s

Now back to my trip on April 19th –

The next target bird was Grasshopper Sparrow, which is a breeder in multiple grassland locations nearby, the closest spot being Hayes Farm.  After a short ride I arrived at the fields at Hayes Farm and got out of my car to listen.  I quickly heard and saw Savannahs and Chipping, but no Grasshopper.  Then a small sparrow flew to a post a short distance away – it was a perched Grasshopper.  Not often you see these birds before you hear them.  I ended up with 5 Grasshoppers as I walked along the roads through the Hayes Farm fields – all the others were heard only.

I only need Grasshopper Sparrow in 6 other states in its regular range.

That gave me 3 new SC statebirds before lunchtime – I just needed to get into the right habitat (at the right time of the year) to be able to fill those gaps in my statelist.  And speaking of statelist – that brings my SC list up to 265.  That's 33 additions since moving to the area, but I still have a number of relatively easy birds to try for.  Not to mention any number of possible rarities.