Birds and Nature in Clarendon Co. SC

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Birds and Nature in Clarendon Co. SC

This page has been created as a free Environmental Education resource for Clarendon Co.

It will be an ethical guide to wildlife and wildlife viewing and at times may highlight environmental issues facing this area and beyond.

08/23/2026

For today's Stewardship Sunday I worked on invasive species control. An invasive species is one that is non-native, establishes a population in an area and spreads relatively rapidly. In some cases they were originally planted intentionally, like in this case as ornamentals or for a purpose either as something like erosion control or as a food crop for introduced wildlife. In other cases seeds may be accidentally transported from one place to another. Invasive species can outcompete native species and lead to declines in some native plant populations.

This post focuses on the Persian Silk Tree also called a Mimosa Tree. According to the Thomas Jefferson Foundation, the Mimosa was first introduced to the United States by Andre Michaux and planted at his nursery in Charleston in 1785. Michaux shared seeds with others, spreading this species around the southern US. This is a long established invasive species, but because it is non-native and does spread rapidly I am removing them from my property. I am realistic and do know that this species will likely always be a part of the southern flora now.

If you have Mimosa Trees and want to remove them it is not always easy. If you just cut them down, they will grow back, so larger trees do need to be treated in some way. Saplings are easily removed just by pulling them out of the ground with the root attached.

08/21/2026

Great Crested Flycatchers are another Neotropical Migrant that nest from Florida to Canada and most travel to Cuba and Central America for the winter, with a few staying towards the tip of Florida. These are common in our county in the summer and in my recent Screech Owl box clean-out I showed one of their nests with a leftover egg shell. They are cavity nesters and like the ones that used the owl box this year, do not mind man-made structures to nest in. This photo was taken in Summerton and you can still see them around, but migration is happening now.

08/19/2026

Louisiana Waterthrush at Taw Caw Creek Park. Migration is underway and soon many birds that have nested further north will be passing through our county. Some species can be confusing with IDs sometimes and this particular individual got me at first. When I saw it I thought it was a Northern Waterthrush, typically Louisiana's have a plain white throat and Northern's have a streaked throat, the line behind the Louisiana's is also typically thicker behind the eye, where Northern's have a thin white line, again like this individual. Every individual is different though and this one got me. A larger bill and the side view tell me my initial identification was wrong. If you take a walk along the boardwalk at Taw Caw this week, you may get to see one for yourself. They feed along the lake edge, foraging for insects. They may even fly up to give you a look like this one did to me.

08/18/2026

A flower, a fruit and a host. Purple Passion Flower is a common native flower in our county that produces a large green Passion Fruit, which is edible. It also serves as a host plant to one of our common butterflies, the Gulf Fritillary. The Gulf Fritillary as an adult can feed on the flower and also will deposit its eggs on a leaf, which the larvae will eat. At this time of year you can find the Gulf Fritillary caterpillars feeding on the leaves, so if you come across this plant, take a closer look and see if you can spot one of these orange caterpillars adorned with what look like spikes. Photos taken in Summerton.

08/16/2026

I will be getting back to the clean-ups when isn't so hot out. For today's Stewardship Sunday it is the time of year to clean out nest boxes. In this case I worked on Screech Owl boxes. I have not had luck with nesting Screech Owls yet, but they do use these boxes as roosts (a place where screech owls sleep during the day) in the winter months. The one box I knew was used this nesting season by a pair of Great Crested Flycatchers. I believe they were successful in using it to raise their young. Another box did not seem to have any activity this season other than paper wasps making a nest inside, so that one I moved to a new location, facing a different direction. The video included in this post is really just a night recording of an Eastern Screech in Summerton on Friday night. That is what reminded me to do the box clean-outs. For the video make sure to have your sound turned all the way up to hear the Eastern Screech Owl's call.

08/14/2026

This is just another post encouraging you to get out and explore some of the public areas we have in Clarendon County. The Santee National Wildlife Refuge belongs to all of us, is free to visit and has a lot to see. I have posted the Pine Island Unit before, but the scenes do slightly change throughout the year. If you haven't hiked these areas before, start small, maybe just take the drive down the dirt road to the parking area at Pine Island. See something new and appreciate what is all of ours. I will be making more posts about the refuge and things we can do to get it improved. It has potential to be more of a resource for all citizens of Clarendon County, the US and the wildlife it is meant to serve for our future generations.

Cautions for this time of year:

1. At this time of year insect repentant is a good idea, ticks are extremely bad right now and if you walk any of the access roads that are not mowed you will get ticks on you.

2. The trails are long and it is hot. Make sure you have a map on you before you head out and know your limits. It is best to walk first thing in the morning before it gets baking out. Be sure to bring enough water and wear sun protection if you venture out on hot days.

3. Wildlife can bite and is protected by law in our refuges, maintain a distance from wildlife, for their safety and yours.

08/13/2026

A walk at the Bluff Unit of the Santee National Wildlife Refuge. The area in this post, as the first photo shows, is open to visitors between March 1st and November 1st. It is closed the rest of the year as a safe haven for migrating waterfowl. I encourage anyone who has the ability to walk a few miles to check it out. This is our refuge owned by all Americans, I would like to see more people out on the trails. The more people who go, I believe the more will care about it and the wildlife it holds. I recommend going on cooler days, be prepared for lots of sun and at least lately ticks have been incredibly bad, so make sure to apply insect repellent. You access this area by first walking the Wright's Bluff Trail and from there take the access roads. The walk starts off with fields, then you will get some views of the lake and get to walk around the impoundments. For this post I am not including specific wildlife photos, just the views you will see when walking this area. On the day I took these I ended up walking just over 5 miles, so there is a lot of ground to cover out there if you do enjoy hiking/walking.

08/12/2026

These are Two-striped Forceptails, dragonflies from the Clubtail Family (Gomphidae). This is a common species in our area and at this time of year you may even see them mating like in the second photo. Dragonflies in general provide us with something exceptionally important, insect control. They eat other flying insects and reduce populations of things like mosquitoes that can be harmful to us.

08/11/2026

The Cottonmouth is one of our venomous snakes in the county. They reside in wetland areas and a good amount of their diet are things like fish and frogs, though they are opportunistic and will eat a variety of other things like rodents, lizards, etc. When I was taking these photos this snake posed no threat to me at all. Most snakes only bite as a defense mechanism and you can avoid this just by keeping several feet away from them. Snakes can only strike about half of their body length. Give these snakes the distance they deserve and let them be, so future generations get to see them.

08/10/2026

Another brood of Eastern Bluebirds is about ready to fledge. This mother bluebird has been good at catching juvenile Green Anoles and bringing them back for the little ones. In the last photo you can see one of the little ones in the box.

I also have an update on the Blue Grosbeak chicks I had previously posted. Unfortunately they did not survive. Their nest was attached to grape vines and when a thunderstorm came through the vines had enough give that the nest did not stay upright.

Address

Summerton, SC
29148

Website

http://birdsandnatureclarendon.blogspot.com/

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