On Sunday, we enjoyed more cinnamon rolls, coffee, and conversation in the morning before we began our journey southward. Our first stop was the Bluff Unit of Santee NWR, which not only serves as critical wetland habitat for nesting wading birds, but is an important archaeological site and hosts the Santee Indian Mound, dating back over 1,000 years. We arrived at the visitors station, which was unfortunately closed. We checked the feeders in front of the building, but there was nothing extraordinary to be found. After a quick scan of the lake, we drove over to the trailhead. Walking up the Indian Mound, we had a quick glimpse of Painted Buntings (our first of the year!), which proved to be abundant there. We tried hard for supposed singing Dickcissels at a large field, but the field was silent and the sun was baking us. We continued on and listened to singing Northern Parulas, Great Crested Flycatchers, and had a great look at a Barrel Owl. Though our bird list didn't provide anything else new, the short, swampy trail was a pleasant and scenic walk.
Continuing south, we headed towards the Peach State. We had planned to stop at Champney Island, a historical site. Alone in a field stood an ominous house, harboring a dark and cruel history. On top of the eerie atmosphere, the bugs were terrible. We drove on.Thankfully, before hitting the highway again, we got our year Black-bellied Whistling Ducks flying overheard.
We headed towards Jekyll Island, which based on friends accounts, we had high hopes for. After driving almost the entire perimeter of the island, we realized that this island was not wild anymore. It was a tourist trap - full of obnoxiously colored hotels, boutiques, and restaurants. We stopped along a few trailheads, but the heat of the middle of the day proved to be too much for any bird activity. We also stopped at a fishing pier before leaving, hopeful to get a few new terns, but all we saw were tourists ignoring the "Do not swim or fish" signs posted all over the beach. We ambled on home, disappointed with Jekyll Island, but feeling pleased overall about our short, but busy weekend adventure.
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