Congaree National Park
Robin Carter
Directions
From Exit 5 of I-77 go southeast on SC 48, Bluff Road, for 12 miles. Here turn right (south) onto Mountain View Road for 0.8 miles. Here turn right (northwest) onto Road 734, Old Bluff Road for 0.6 miles to the park entrance.
Birds to look for
Wood Duck, Wild Turkey, Yellow-crowned Night-Heron (s), Mississippi Kite (s), Red-shouldered Hawk, Yellow-billed Cuckoo (s), Barred Owl (s), Chuck-will's-widow (s), Whip-poor-will (s), Red-headed Woodpecker, Hairy Woodpecker, Acadian Flycatcher (s), White-eyed Vireo, Blue-headed Vireo (w), White-breasted Nuthatch, Brown-headed Nuthatch, Brown Creeper (w), Winter Wren (w), Veery (spring, fall), Gray-cheeked Thrush (spring, fall), Swainson's Thrush (spring, fall), Hermit Thrush (w), Wood Thrush (s), Orange-crowned Warbler (w), Northern Parula (s), Chestnut-sided Warbler (fall), Magnolia Warbler (fall), Black-throated Blue Warbler (spring, fall), Yellow-rumped Warbler (w), Pine Warbler, Black-and-white Warbler, American Redstart (spring, fall), Prothonotary Warbler (s), Worm-eating Warbler (s), Swainson's Warbler (s), Ovenbird (s), Northern Waterthrush (spring, fall), Louisiana Waterthrush (s), Kentucky Warbler (s), Hooded Warbler (s), Summer Tanager (s), Scarlet Tanager (spring, fall), Fox Sparrow (w), Rose-breasted Grosbeak (spring, fall), Rusty Blackbird (w), Baltimore Oriole (w)
Description
Congaree National Park has fantastic forests, including many acres of old-growth floodplain forest. The park's checklist has just under 200 species of birds—not a great number of species, but this is made up for by the sheer number of individuals present at all times of year. Congaree is a good spot for migrants and even better for large numbers of nesting and wintering species. There is an extensive trail system, including a 2 mile boardwalk loop trail that allows you to get into the floodplain even when the water levels are fairly high without getting your feet wet.
All of South Carolina's woodpeckers, perhaps even including Ivory-billed Woodpecker, have occurred in the park. Red-cockaded Woodpeckers no long occur regularly, unfortunately. Large numbers of the commonly-found woodpeckers occur most of the year.