Author: Camilla Sherman

Phinizy Wildlife Report June 2, 2016

By Liam Wolff, Phinizy Research Intern

Apologies for the lack of posts, I was in Texas for a large portion of May and had to miss a few weeks of Phinizy wildlife! The Phinizy wildlife was not unforgiving when I returned, though! Many wonderful creatures are out and about in the warm weather, most particularly insects.

Dragonflies such as Blue Dasher, Four-spotted Pennant, Great Blue Skimmer, Eastern Pondhawk, and Common Whitetail are all over the park. Butterflies such as Zebra Swallowtail, Spicebush Swallowtail, American Snout, Common Buckeye, and Broad-winged Skipper thrive in the sun too.

Naturally, the birds are taking advantage of this. Especially the birds that are breeding. The Barn Swallow nest on campus has five young birds that are almost ready to leave the nest, whereas the Eastern Phoebe nest in front of the research building has just hatched its second clutch! The (now) somewhat secretive local Black-bellied Whistling-Ducks have been eyeing a cavity in a dead cypress ~50ft from the concrete bridge near the campus. They are most active at dusk and dawn. Not many migrants are left, but one exciting find was a Willow Flycatcher last Friday! It was calling “fitz-bew!” from willows along the Constructed Wetland Trail between the campus and the trail sign. This is the first record of this species in Richmond County and, needless to say, a first for Phinizy Swamp as well.

Weekly Wildlife Report, May 6

by Liam Wolff, Phinizy Research Intern

Everything has been busy lately, including the wildlife. Migration is at its peak right now, even though this season has been unusually slow.

Photos by Liam Wolff

Many neotropical migrants have been missing this year and the Glossy Ibis that had been in the Equalization Pond left when the storms moved through. However, birds like Cape May, Black-throated Blue, Blackpoll, and Yellow Warbler were seen in the park within the last two weeks, mostly at the end of the Equalization Pond. Bobolinks are all over the wetlands, feeding on grass seeds in the cells and the Distributional Canal. At least 800 were seen on Saturday. Buntings and Blue Grosbeak too are thriving on the bulrush seeds. Both Painted and Indigo are singing from short trees or powerlines. Kestrels, Barred Owl, Mississippi Kite, Red-shouldered and Red-tailed Hawks, and Osprey were seen this week. The Red-shouldered Hawk young on Cattail Trail are already branched and will likely start roaming soon. The Red-shouldered Hawk nest by the Equalization Pond has downy young in it. Swallows are all over the Equalization Pond, hundreds of them swooping low over the water, catching bugs of collecting mud for their nests. Northern Rough-winged, Tree, Barn, and Cliff Swallows were all seen there on Thursday.

Photos by Liam Wolff

Bugs seem this week include the usual Zebra Swallowtail, Common Buckeye, Red Admiral, Broad-winged Skipper, Painted Lady, and American Snout for butterflies, and Twelve-spotted Skimmer, Four-spotted Pennant, Blue Dasher, Eastern Pondhawk, Common Whitetail, Fragile Forktail, and Rambur’s Forktail for dragon and damselflies.

Reptiles and Amphibians: Yellow-bellied Slider, American Alligator, Eastern Ratsnake, Black Racer, Brown Watersnake, and Cottonmouth for reptiles and Leopard Frog, Green Treefrog, Bronze Frog, Bullfrog, and Cricket Frog for amphibians.

Mammals: Raccoon and Nine-banded Armadillo on the Constructed Wetland Trail and Muskrat at the 3 Ton Bridge.

A really great week for wildlife!
Phinizy Wildlife Report April 22, 2016

By Liam Wolff, Phinizy Research Intern

This weekend is Phinizy’s Birding Festival, and it couldn’t have happened at a more opportune time. Migrants are arriving daily. This week Orchard Oriole, Blue Grosbeak, Indigo Bunting, Painted Bunting, Ruby-throated Hummingbird, Prairie Warbler, Eastern Wood-Pewee, Red-eyed Vireo, Broad-winged Hawk, Little Blue Heron, and Solitary Sandpiper are all new arrivals in the park. By far the most exciting find this week was a new bird for the park – Wilson’s Warbler found by Sam Murray in the bushes near the Osprey nest. Other rarities seen this week include a Red-breasted Merganser hen in Cell 1 and a Glossy Ibis in the Equalization Pond. It is possible that a Black Rail was heard in the wetland cells after dark, but there was no confirmation (please note the park closes at dusk). American Wigeon and Blue-winged Teal are the only ducks remaining in the Equalization Pond, but Wood Duck are still present throughout the park, closer to the wooded swamps like the River Scar Trail. Osprey, American Kestrel, Red-shouldered Hawk, Barred Owl, Black Vulture and Turkey Vulture are raptors seen in the park this week. Also heard was a possible Barn Owl, calling between the windshear tower and the silos. Least Bittern can be heard calling from the Rain Garden Pond and Cell 3 and American Bittern were heard calling and seen flying, once in a group of 3! At dusk, a Black-crowned Night-Heron was seen flying over the wetlands, possibly one of the birds from Cell 3 in the Winter. Needless to say, the Birding Festival will encounter many awesome birds!

Dragonflies and Damselflies this week include: Eastern Pondhawk, Common Whitetail, Great Blue Skimmer, Twelve-spotted Skimmer, Blue Dasher, Green Darner, Carolina Saddlebags, Fragile Forktail, Rambur’s Forktail, Ebony Jewelwing, Sparkling Jewelwing, and Variable Dancer. Butterflies this week include: Zebra, Black, and Eastern Tiger Swallowtail, Red-spotted Purple, Cloudless Sulphur, Viceroy, Common Buckeye, American Snout, Question Mark, Red Admiral, and Broad-winged Skipper.

Reptiles this week include: Alligators (Cell 1 and Clarification Pond), Southern Banded Watersnake, Cottonmouth, Eastern Box Turtle, Yellow-bellied Slider, Spiny Softshell Turtle, Five-lined Skink, Ground Skink, and Carolina Anole. Frogs heard: Green Treefrog, Leopard Frog, Bullfrog, Bronze Frog, and Southern Toad.

Barn Swallow (Top Left), Glossy Ibis (Middle Left), American Alligator (Bottom Left), Rambur’s Forktails (Right), Photos by Liam Wolff

Phinizy Wildlife Report April 14, 2016

By Liam Wolff, Phinizy Research Intern

Babies are here! New young animals are hatching in the park. The Phoebe nest by the Research building on campus has chicks, and young Pied-billed Grebes are seen in the Distributional Canal with their parent(s). Ospreys appear to have young hatched as well. Not yet hatched are turtles, who have just laid their eggs in the ground.

It’s a great time of year for insects – the cool kinds! Mosquitoes and Deerfly populations are not high, but butterflies, damselfies, and dragonflies are out in full force. Zebra and Eastern Tiger Swallowtail, Common Buckeye, Broad-winged Skipper, and Cloudless Sulphur are butterflies seen this week, while Blue Dasher, Great Blue Skimmer, Eastern Pondhawk, Common Whitetail, Ebony Jewelwing, Rambur’s Forktail and Fragile Forktail are dragonflies and damselflies seen this week.

Many snakes are out; mainly Cottonmouth, but some Black Racers and Watersnakes as well. American Alligator, Yellow-bellied Slider, and Cooters are basking in the sun, too.

A few straggling winter birds remain. Blue-winged Teal are always the last to leave and the first to arrive, and there is still a moderate amount of them in the Equalization Pond. The final Ruby-crowned Kinglets and Yellow-rumped Warblers of the season are sticking around as well, but in the next few weeks they will slowly migrate to their Northern summer homes. Parula, Palm, Pine, Prothonotary, and Yellow-throated Warbler are the only other Warblers this week, but all four species of Vireo (Blue-headed, Red-eyed, White-eyed, and Yellow-throated) were seen/heard! Summer Tanagers and Northern Rough-winged Swallows have finally made their way to Augusta. The local Kestrel was seen on Wednesday perched on the telephone wire outside the park and the Red-shouldered Hawks are as raucous and ubiquitous as always. Common Ground-Doves call their monotone, low “coooup” call from the forest edge near the River Scar and Least Bitterns can also be heard softly cooing in Cell 3. Other birds of note include: Spotted Sandpiper, Bald Eagle, Lesser Yellowlegs, Savannah Sparrow, Pileated Woodpecker, Field Sparrow, and Marsh Wren.

Weekly Wildlife Report, April 1st

By Liam Wolff, Phinizy Research Intern

Despite the gloomy weather, wildlife is active! Snakes, Lizards, Turtles, and Alligators are out when the sun is, with species such as Cottonmouth and Southern Banded Watersnake, Ground Skink, Carolina Anole, Mud Turtle, Sliders, and Common Snapping Turtles. When the sun is not out, the frogs appear. Aside from the normal Green Treefrog, Bronze Frog, and Bullfrog, the Eastern Spadefoot Toads call from flooded ditches.

As for invertebrates, damselflies and dragonflies are out in full force. Ebony Jewelwings grace the woodlands with their fluttery black wings and Eastern Pondhawk, Blue Dasher, and Great Blue Skimmer are ubiquitous in the wetlands and woods. Butterflies seen this week include: Red-spotted Purple, Silver-spotted and Broad-winged Skipper, Common Buckeye, Cloudless Sulphur, Zebra, Black, and Eastern Tiger Swallowtail, and Cabbage White.

Birds revel in the warm weather, particularly when the rain lets up. A few straggling Lesser Scaup and Ring-necked Duck remain in the Equalization Pond with coots and grebes. The Buffleheads seem to have migrated northwards towards their Canadian summer home. Another group of stragglers at the Equalization Pond is a flock of Rusty Blackbirds, making a racket in the trees on the east side of the pond. King Rails are vocal in the morning and evening, with birds being heard from the sparrow field and the wetlands. The Raptors are very busy with nesting. The Ospreys fly to and fro, possibly caring for young already. The Red-shouldered Hawk nest by Cattail Trail has hatchlings too. Barred Owl activity is almost nonstop in the morning, with pairs vocalizing back and forth. There appears to be at least two pairs breeding in the park. A slow stream of neotropical migrants is dripping into Augusta. In addition to Northern Parulas and Yellow-throated Warblers, Prothonotary Warblers sing in the cypress swamp by the bridge to the campus. A group of Pine Siskins too sing from this spot. Other birds of note include: Black-and-White Warbler, White-crowned Sparrow, and Wilson’s Snipe.