More Woodpeckers

Buck Hall Recreation Area, Awendaw, SC, Site #3

It was a nippy 37° when we arose at Buck hall this morning. The owls had departed and it was still nice and clear. After breakfast we were off for food.

Charleston has a Whole Foods in Mt. Pleasant, which is on the north side of the highway bridge into the city. It has been a traditional food stop on our way through. It was, however, a bit chaotic today as they seemed to be rearranging the store, but we found what we needed.

After Whole Foods, it was off to Half-Moon Outfitters, also in Mt.Pleasant, to solve my mis-matched hiking shoe problem. It is a small SC & GA chain, much like EMS in New England, and carries a good selection of hiking footwear. They had both Merrill and Keen shoes, which I'm fond of. I picked up a pair of Keen waterproof hiking shoes and am no longer an asynchronous walker.

It was back to camp, via the McClellanville Diner (which meant we had to drive right past Buck Hall to get there). We have passed this diner in an old gas station many times and there is always a line of cars out front. It seemed worth a try. (Note the fire engine in the background—they just stopped for lunch).

Lunchtime at the McClellanville Diner

It was definitely a local hangout. Except for us, everyone knew everyone else. The waitress would bring the expected drinks as folks sat down without even asking. The food was decent as well. Ellen and I split an Oyster Po'boy and a Salmon BLT. The Po'boy could have had more oysters, but that is always my complaint. They were out of pie, so we settled for sharing banana pudding for dessert. It was tasty, but Ellen was convinced that they gave bigger portions to the regulars. It was worth the stop.

It was back to camp after that to while away the afternoon. A little maintenance on the bicycle cover, which developed a hole, showers and an afternoon cafe latte were in order. It was then time to search for woodpeckers.

Red-cockaded Woodpeckers to be specific. This is an endangered species that lives only on long-leaf pine forests. Due to extensive logging, this is a dwindling  environment. The local national forest, Francis Marion NF, of which Buck Hall is a part, is one of the few protected areas for Red-cockaded Woodpeckers. Ocala NF in Florida is another area where they can be found.

The most recent sightings reported to eBird were only a few days ago and happened to be at the exact location where we saw them last time we were here. The best time to see them is before sunset when they return to their nest holes in the pine trees. The nest holes are fairly easy to find as they peck the tree below the hole causing large amounts of sticky sap to run down and coat the trunk. This deters predators, particularly snakes. Finding the trees is made even easier by the Forest Service, which paints a white band or two around the trunk at chest height.

We got to the corner of Willow Hall and I'On Swamp roads about 40 minutes before sunset. There are several marked trees right at the corner. The woodpeckers couldn't have picked a more accessible location. About five minutes after we arrived we could hear a couple of them calling and they flew into the trees right in front of us. We were able to observe them for about 30 minutes on and off before they quieted down and found their nests. Unfortunately, none of the nest holes we could actually see seemed to be in use, so we didn't see them going in.

While we were there, a couple of Red-bellied Woodpeckers, a Downy Woodpecker and several Pine Warblers also showed up. Not bad for just standing around in one spot.

As the sun set, it was back to camp and a dinner of Whole Foods butternut squash and bean chili, an unusual choice and one we probably won't make again.

A note on the campgrounds so far.

We enjoyed Huntington Beach State Park. It has good wetlands for birding and a decent large campground. It was easy to get a site at this time of the year, but the ranger said that this is about the only month where you can just drive in on a weekend. We took site 39, at the far end of the campground. It backs up to a bit of woods making it fairly private. There is a lot of space between sites and there are minimal lights, so it is quiet and private after dark. The restrooms and showers were clean and warm. Ellen ran out of hot water, but I had plenty...timing I guess.

The only disadvantages of site 39 are that it is far enough from the closest shower building that we were out of range of the free WiFi service and it was quite far to the office and camp store, as we found out when we were caught in the rain walking back to our site. It is a little pricey at $25/night plus taxes—and that is the low season rate, but not bad compared to some of the Florida State Parks.

Buck Hall Recreation Area is one of our favorite campgrounds. It has good hiking and birding around it. It looks like there is also good kayaking or canoeing in Awendaw Creek and the waterway, but we haven't been here when it was warm enough and we had a kayak. It is also close enough to Charleston for provisioning and sightseeing.

Its biggest disadvantage is its size. There are only 14 RV sites. There is an overflow area, but there are no amenities there, it is a long walk to the restrooms and showers, and the security lights are like being in a Flying-J parking lot. We spent our first night in one of the tent site parking spaces in the main campground, a quieter alternative as there were tent sites available...we just neglected to put up our tent. Reservations are needed for virtually all weekends and vacation weeks, but, except for arriving on this past holiday weekend, we've always gotten a site.

We spent last night in site 14, which is a good site with a view of the waterway. Its only disadvantage for us is that the restroom building has very bright outside lights at night and it shines right into our back window. Tonight we are in site 3, probably our favorite, since the restroom lights cannot be seen and there is no one behind us. Site 4 is just about as good.

They price is right. It is $10/night with the federal senior pass ($20 for those under 62 youngsters) with electricity and water. There is only one shower each for men and women, but they have unlimited hot water.

Tomorrow, we are off to Fort Clinch on Amelia Island for a couple of extra days there. It is supposed to get down to 19° here tomorrow night, nothing compared to the -1° forecast at home, and Speedy's water system is no longer winterized. It is supposed to stay above freezing at Fort Clinch and they had a couple of free sites for the next two nights, so off we go. Four nights is a record for us at Amelia Island, but they have good coffee within biking distance.