Blue Goose ~ Day 249

January 31, 2015 ~ Florence, SC to Cheraw, SC

Churr raw...like Choctaw. Lots of names down here end in "aw."

I moseyed through South Carolina on this sunny Saturday morning, but instead of the watery lowland and mushy ground, there were hills and sandy soil with hardwoods and pines, and cultivated fields, the landscape more similar to the Midwest.

Carolina Sandhills NWR is in north-central South Carolina and one focus is Red-cockaded Woodpeckers with 120 to 140 clusters on the refuge, a cluster being a breeding pair and their helpers. Nice, isn't it? the helper deal...RCWs prefer mature Longleaf pines and excavate cavities in live trees. Because the Longleaf forests were decimated by logging and the turpentine industry, the RCW had no habitat and were listed as endangered in 1970. They are recovering with an estimated 18,000 birds today (much better than the Red Wolf at 300 individuals). They live an average of 16 years and lay three to four eggs a season. The male incubates the eggs at night.

Longleaf Pines at Carolina Sandhills NWR - SC

So, I figured this refuge should have at least 300 RCWs. Would I see one? Yes, I would. I drove slowly and stopped a few times along the road looking and listening. The Longleaf pines grow with generous space between each tree, creating a savannah with lots of light and openness. It is easier to spot movements which is what happened on my third or fourth stop. I watched a woodpecker in the distance hoping it wasn't another sapsucker which I had just seen. But even from afar, I could make out the distinctive white check and then it flew closer, along with a flurry of other birds which probably were part of the cluster. I didn't want to take the binocs off my bird though so didn't verify this. Of course, when I finally reached for my camera, the birds all flew and I lost them. Which was OK... I had good looks, my second RCW encounter.

Carolina Sandhills NWR - SC

I followed the good road to another part of the refuge until it deteriorated into sand and then sand with ruts and then the narrowed and sort of lost road identity at which point I turned around, especially as there were these sort-of roads going in all directions.

Carolina Sandhills NWR - SC

I admit it was nice and mellow up here in the light and airy sandhills, away from the Spanish moss and dark watery swamps.

I was near the town of Cheraw and drove through looking for a place to eat. The town was amazingly neat and clean with not a trace of litter or leaf on the lawns and walkways of attractive large and small homes. It was like a Stepford town, striking in its NEATNESS. This was a main street and downtown historic area; maybe other parts of the town were less well kept. I found a Chinese buffet and had a tall glass of sweet tea; alcohol is not as readily available in some states.