I left Bear Island an hour before Craig and Pam arrived. I also saw a Wilson’s Phalarope this afternoon on Mary’s House Pond, from the “tour road”.
Irvin Pitts
Lexington, SC
-----Original Message-----
From: Craig <carolinabirds...>
To: carolinabirds <carolinabirds...>
Date: Tuesday, 6 May 2025 9:47 PM EDT
Subject: Shorebirds at Bear Island WMA, Colleton Co., SC
Pam Ford and I went to Bear Island in the afternoon today searching for the reported White-faced Ibis. We did not find the ibis, but we did find approximately 3000 shorebirds of at least 16 species, and we only covered a few impoundments. There were lots of wading birds as well, and five species of terns in Lower Tank Hill. The link to our eBird checklist is below. Most of the shorebirds were in Lower Tank Hill Pond and Mosquito Pond. A one Mute Swan was in Pinckney Break Pond near Lower Tank Hill. Most notable to Pam and I were White-rumped Sandpipers and over 20 Stilt Sandpipers in breeding plumage. There were a few lingering American Avocets and lots of Black-necked Stilts. It was difficult to identify all of the shorebirds due to access points and the sun angle, as well as them being scattered out at far distances. With more time, good light, and patience, we possibly could have found some other species. I would suggest walking the dikes. Biting insects were not bad, but the wind was blowing. There is a link below to the pdf file of the impoundments at Bear.
