Three Rare South Carolina Migrants, September 2020

I had a most successful start to September in SC with 5 relatively common statebirds, or “low hanging fruit”, as summarized in my previous blog post.  But as the month progressed my luck shifted to some of the rarer species.

The first came late in the day during the Greenville County Fall Migration Count on September 19.  I had already started the day with 2 new SC statebirds by sunrise - several Gray-cheeked Thrushes (my target for the day) and a cooperative Canada Warbler.  My last stop of the day was at Hayes Farm mostly along Sally Gilreath Rd. in Travelers Rest.  This area has some great field habitat, interspersed with a few isolated areas of woodlands and lone oak trees.  I’ve birded there a few times and really enjoy birding the diverse habitats.  And when birding this spot during the Spring Migration Count I was surprised to see several passerine migrants in the woods, even in the isolated oak trees.  So I was hopeful that I might find some migrants during this count as well, though I wasn’t terribly optimistic I would once again find migrants in this limited habitat.

Birding started quite well with a most cooperative late Grasshopper Sparrow – likely a holdover from the breeding season.  And the first area of woodlands included some good numbers of Indigo Buntings and Blue Grosbeaks, but they too were likely local breeders.  I then turned onto Hayes Road, and soon found a flock of birds on the ground along the road – mostly Chipping Sparrows and a Palm Warbler.  They often perched up on the fence along the road, joined by a small group of Bluebirds.  As I scanned through the perched birds I spotted a small flycatcher mixed in.  I first expected it would be a Phoebe, but quickly realized it was way too small.  And with a closer look I could see it was an Empidonax.  Luckily it stayed on the wires, making short forays for insects and returning.  That allowed me to check off all the necessary fieldmarks to ID a silent fall Empid – grayish green back, creamy white below, short primary projection, buffy wing bars, small but distinct eye-ring.  And the kicker - a slumped posture that gave it a short-necked appearance, a field mark that I find diagnostic for fall Leasts.  I indeed had a Least Flycatcher, rare for SC.  Not bad for one of the few true migrants at this spot.

I’ve seen Least Flycatcher in most of the states in its regular range (the blue-shaded states in my statebird map below).  I still need it in four southeast states and 2 in the northwest portion of its regular range (cross-hatched states).  I’ve also seen this species as a rarity in AZ and AK (tan states).

But what’s with the gap in the southeast states?  Even though the Sibley range maps indicate that Least is a regular migrant in SC and elsewhere in the southeast, it is decidedly more common as a migrant through the central flyway than in the southeast.  This is shown quite well in the eBird map below for the August-October fall migration period for Least Flycatcher. 

My next trip to the SC Upstate was on September 26 with a trip to the Cottonwood Trail in Spartanburg.  This site is an oasis of woodlands, brush, and marshlands in a relatively urban setting.  This mix of habitats had attracted a good number and diversity of migrants so far this fall.  A couple days before my trip two Philadelphia Vireos had been seen near the area of the footbridge over the stream that runs through the site.  Though surely they wouldn’t still be around.  I planned to bird there with my SC birding friend Gary Harbour, and another birding friend Michael Robertson was part of another group at the park.  Lots of eyes to look for those migrants, though to ensure social distancing our two groups went off in separate directions - my group to the wetlands and the other group to the bridge. 

We had only been birding a short time when we got a text that the other group had a Philadelphia Vireo at the bridge.  Wow – did one of the birds from earlier in the week stick around?  But by the time we got over there the bird was gone.  There were a few migrant warblers in the trees above the bridge so we decided to stay there in hopes that the Vireo might return.  No more than a couple minutes later we spotted some movement in a brushy edge nearby.  And with a quick view we had the Philadelphia Vireo.  It stayed in the area for the next couple minutes giving good views for most of the birders there.  Regardless of whether this was a bird lingering from days early, it certainly turned out to be preferred habitat for this species. 

The range map for Philadelphia Vireo is similar to that for the Least Flycatcher.  Though it’s even less likely in the southeast, and not expected in the northwest.  And generally less common than the Least Fly throughout its range.  As a result, I still need it in quite a number of states.  On a more positive note, finding one in NM as a rarity during a spring migration fallout was pretty special.

Gary and I stayed in the general area slowly checking off a number of migrants, mostly warblers with a few others mixed in.  We birded the woodlands for a while, then switched our attention to the adjacent brushy area at a power line cut.  It was here that I spotted an Empid perched in a 10-foot tall shrub.  Oh no, not another silent Fall Empid to deal with.  But this one turned out to be relatively easy – this one was quite yellow below from the throat to the vent.  And with a yellow eye-ring, prominent wing bars, moderate primary projection, and greenish mantle we had a Yellow-bellied Flycatcher.  As yellow as it was below it was likely a bird of the year which had just molted before leaving the breeding grounds (unlike adults that don’t molt until after migration resulting in worn or faded yellow below when seen in migration).  Gary got on the bird as well, but before the other group was able to study it the Flycatcher flew into the woodland understory (its preferred habitat in migration) and was not seen again.  Two SC statebirds in the same day, and both rarities per eBird!

The range maps for all 3 of my new SC species are quite similar – migrants primarily through the central flyway, less often seen as a migrant in the southeast, and breeding along the northern tier of US states and southeastern and south-central Canada.  My statebird map for Yellow-bellied Flycatcher is a bit better than the one for the Vireo, but not much. 

With a total of 8 new SC statebirds in September that gives me 276 in SC.  Although it was nice ot finally check off those low hanging fruit, it’s always more fun to find those rarities.

Five “Low Hanging Fruit” in South Carolina, September 2020

One of my objectives for fall migration in 2020 was to focus on filling some gaps in my SC list.  Even after a year living in the area, I still had a number of “low hanging fruit” to pursue – birds that were regular migrants or residents that I just hadn’t been lucky enough to run into yet.  And now that I had nearly exhausted expected new statebirds in western NC, I could devote more time in SC during the upcoming fall season.

My first fall trip to SC was on 9/6, which actually began with a stop in NC at Guion Farm in the DuPont State Forest to meet up with Bill and Anita Hooker.  Red Crossbills had been reliable there for at least a couple months.  And since the site is just a short distance from the SC line, after some fun birding with Bill and Anita, I could head 20 minutes south from there into SC.  The Crossbills turned out to be most cooperative, with our first heard bird within minutes of our arrival.  After an hour we had multiple birds in site overhead and perched in nearby pines, as well as calling overhead and in the treetops.  Excellent observations of a local rarity. 

Then it was on to SC!  One of the species I heard on each of my 3 trips to Guion Farm this year was the Red-breasted Nuthatch.  I still needed that one for SC, principally because there were virtually none around the region the previous winter.  But since they were regular at Guion Farm, surely they should be in similar habitat just a few miles away in SC, right?  The problem was finding accessible suitable high elevation habitat in SC.  First of all, the elevation dropped off quickly once you crossed into SC, so higher elevation habitat was limited.  In this part of the state there was just a 3-mile stretch of US 276 from the stateline to Ceasars Head State Park that was at elevation.  And even though there were a couple trails in the area, they were in deciduous woodlands not typically appealing to a Red-breasted Nuthatch.  So my strategy to look for the Nuthatch was to pull-off on the side of 276 wherever I could find conifers – assuming it was safe to do so.

The first possible roadside location was literally right at the stateline where YMCA Camp Rd. intersected with 276.  Less than 20 minutes after leaving Guion Farm I reached the SC border and pulled onto the shoulder of the YMCA road.  There were several pine trees to the west so I was hopeful.  And sure enough within just a minute I heard the “toot toot toot” of a Red-breasted Nuthatch.  But which state was it in?  I listened more closely and heard the bird call again, allowing me to pinpoint exactly which direction it was calling from.  Now I had to find out where the stateline was.  I opened my GoogleMaps app and figured out how the line passed through the area.  The bird was indeed calling from SC, but no more than perhaps 50 ft from the stateline, and just 6 miles from Guion Farm “as the nuthatch flies”.  Success!

In my statebird map below, the blue-shaded states are those where I’ve seen Red-breasted Nuthatch.  The 4 cross-hatched states are the last ones where I’ve yet to see it.  Although its regular throughout the continental US, it becomes rather rare in much in the southeast.

Another mile farther along the highway I made a stop at a spot labeled in GoogleMaps as “Greylogs Trail”.  This is a short gravel road and parking lot for a trail that was apparently never developed.  As luck would have it, I had a calling Red Nut here as well – needless to say I didn’t need to worry about where the stateline was to conclude that this one was also a SC bird.

Next stop was Ceasars Head State Park, and specifically the overlook there.  This is THE spot for Peregrine Falcon in the Upstate region of SC, as they are reliable at this location year-round.  But I had been here 3 prior times looking for a Peregrine without success.  Though in all fairness 2 of those times the mountain was fogged in.  Today the weather was great, so fog wouldn’t be an issue.  As I arrived at the parking lot I found that most of the lot was closed off, apparently to limit crowds on this Labor Day weekend during these days of Covid.  And there was just 1 open parking space – maybe my luck was looking up.  I parked in that last space and made my way over to the observation point to start my hawk watch. 

The hawk watch was pretty slow, with just a Red-shouldered and a Broad-winged Hawk passing by as likely migrants.  A young Red-tail and a couple Turkey Vultures circled below as presumably local birds.  After an hour I thought that maybe I should call it quits and try for the Peregrine another time.  But then I realized that conditions that day were ideal – not only was there great visibility, but also I had the observation point almost completely to myself.  And since I was free the rest of the afternoon, I decided to stay longer (I’m still trying to figure out how to take advantage of all my free time in retirement).  Another 30 minutes passed and I spotted the Red-tail again.  And just then a Peregrine passed by below me, starting to harass the Red-tail.  It would repeatedly dive bomb the bird, giving loud cackling calls the entire time.  Quite the show which lasted at least 5 minutes.  After 3 unsuccessful tries to see the Peregrine, I guess I was due for a cooperative bird.  Interestingly, all the raptors were below me at the overlook – a notable point for future visits.

Nice to get 2 new statebirds in the same day.  And SC was my 40th state for Peregrine.

 My next trip to SC came on 9/8 with a trip to Bunched Arrowhead Heritage Preserve in Travelers Rest with Gary Harbour.  This was my first trip to this spot – sure wish I had been there before.  This 178-acre site has excellent diverse habitats, including various ages of successional fields, upland deciduous woodlands, and swamplands.  Gary showed me around the site visiting each of the habitats, including seeing the namesake endangered Bunched Arrowhead (which is a plant and has nothing to do with a group of Native American artifacts).  We were especially hoping for a few early migrants, which unfortunately were few and far between.  But I was lucky enough to get several glimpses of a less-than-cooperative warbler that turned out to be a Blackburnian – the last “easy” warbler I still needed in SC.

And speaking of “easy” warblers, I now have Blackburnian throughout the east except for VA and DE, and for several states in the Great Plains along the western edge of its migration range.  I’ve also seen this species in CA as a rarity.

My last two SC low hanging fruit in September came while participating in the Greenville County Fall Migration Count on 9/19.  My assigned territory consisted of the same sites I covered in the Spring Migration Count.  I started both counts at dawn in the Greenville Watershed which is an amazing area of extensive upland deciduous woodlands.  On my trips there in spring and summer I’ve tallied very high numbers of woodland nesting species as I drove along the roads through the woods.  But given that I would be birding in deep woodlands rather than along wooded edges, I wasn’t sure how many migrants I might find.  My key target was Gray-cheeked Thrush which was being reported in the area at the time, principally as a pre-dawn migrant.  But since I wouldn’t be arriving till dawn, I may well be too late.  All things considered, I was hopeful but not terribly optimistic.

I arrived at the Greenville Watershed a few minutes before sunrise.  Although there were no longer birds still migrating overhead, there were already a number of call notes coming from the woods nearby.  One of the first birds I heard was a Swainson’s Thrush, and soon there were multiple Swainson’s giving their “pit” and “weep” calls increasing in pitch.  And then I heard the first thrush call note dropping in pitch.  I listened carefully and heard this call again – too short and not clear enough to be a Veery.  I had my first Gray-cheeked.  I guess I shouldn’t have been too worried since I heard 3 others calling from the understory on my next 2 stops.  Another example of a target bird that isn’t too unexpected at the right place and right time – the perfect example of “low hanging fruit”.  And although Gray-cheeked is a regular species in much of the eastern US, I haven’t been in that right place at the right time to see it as it migrated through quite a number of those states. 

As I approached dawn one of the first birds I actually saw was a cooperative Canada Warbler in brush along the roadside.  Weeks later I realized that I needed Canada for my SC statelist – an unexpected surprise that I hadn’t even targeted.  From my statebird map it looks like I need to make Canada Warbler a target in quite a number of states.  Though I did find one in WY years ago as just the 5th state record at the time. 

The 5 new low hanging fruit statebirds bring my SC list to 273.  Not bad for one month, even though they all were regular expected species. 

“But wait there’s more” as they say.  In September I also added 3 rarities for SC - check out my next blog post for a summary of these 3 less common species.