Clapper Rail? - 08 Dec 2024

This morning I was to head home from visiting with the Volkers in Pawleys Island, Georgetown Co., South Carolina. We thought about going out to breakfast before heading to the airport, but we thought more about going birding at Huntington State Park on the way to the airport. 

We arrived at the State Park shortly after 7 am and saw a nice mix of white herons huddled in the corner of the canal next to the causeway. Among them were 11 Little Blue Herons, 9 Snowy Egrets, 14 Great Egrets and a couple Tricolored Herons. 

We wanted to check for rails again at the south lookout, although it was cool and still somewhat "dawn-ish" we managed to spot a couple rails foraging below us in the cattails. I originally thought that they were Virginia Rails, but Jack thought that they were larger looking. He was correct. 

Examination of photos showed a "gray" rail with orange-brown bill. This seemed to eliminate Virginia Rail as they have a red bill. King Rails in basic plumage still retain some cinnamon-brown coloration (according to Birds of the World) while Clapper Rails can have a gray-brown coloration. This bird also showed gray barring on flanks. Given that eBird presumes Clapper Rails in the park I'm going with Clapper Rail.

Out in the middle of Mullet Pond a nice group of 35 American White Pelicans were roosting and warming themselves in the rising sunlight.

We then headed to the north end of the park to check out the feeders. They were quiet, but we at least found a Gray Catbird posing in the morning light.

A short walk to the marsh boardwalk next to the visitor center yielded a fly-by Dunlin.

With time running short we drove out of the park but stopping just long enough to get some pics of Dunlin and a Western Sandpiper. Several Black-bellied Plovers were also next to the causeway.

With deepest gratitude to Jack and Janet I was at the airport by 9 am for a 10:30 flight home. I'd finish my visit with 127 species that would help me crack the Georgetown Co. Top 100 at position 30 for 2024. Not bad! 

Huntington Beach SP, Georgetown, South Carolina, US
Dec 8, 2024 7:14 AM - 8:34 AM
Protocol: Traveling
4.88 mile(s)
Checklist Comments:     Clear, calm, 40F. State Park and Oyster Landing
37 species (+2 other taxa)

Green-winged Teal (Anas crecca)  14
Lesser Scaup (Aythya affinis)  2
Hooded Merganser (Lophodytes cucullatus)  8
Ruddy Duck (Oxyura jamaicensis)  32
Clapper Rail (Rallus crepitans)  1
Virginia Rail (Rallus limicola)  1
Common Gallinule (Gallinula galeata)  2
Black-bellied Plover (Pluvialis squatarola)  6
Killdeer (Charadrius vociferus)  1
Spotted Sandpiper (Actitis macularius)  1
Greater Yellowlegs (Tringa melanoleuca)  2
Dunlin (Calidris alpina)  1
Least Sandpiper (Calidris minutilla)  8
Western Sandpiper (Calidris mauri)  1
shorebird sp. (Charadriiformes sp. (shorebird sp.))  60
Laughing Gull (Leucophaeus atricilla)  9
Ring-billed Gull (Larus delawarensis)  2
gull sp. (Larinae sp.)  145
Pied-billed Grebe (Podilymbus podiceps)  7
Little Blue Heron (Egretta caerulea)  11
Tricolored Heron (Egretta tricolor)  3
Snowy Egret (Egretta thula)  9
Great Egret (Ardea alba)  14
Great Blue Heron (Ardea herodias)  12
American White Pelican (Pelecanus erythrorhynchos)  35
Brown Pelican (Pelecanus occidentalis)  1
Carolina Chickadee (Poecile carolinensis)  2
Ruby-crowned Kinglet (Corthylio calendula)  2
White-breasted Nuthatch (Sitta carolinensis)  1
Marsh Wren (griseus) (Cistothorus palustris griseus)  1
Carolina Wren (Thryothorus ludovicianus)  3
Gray Catbird (Dumetella carolinensis)  2
Northern Mockingbird (Mimus polyglottos)  2
Eastern Bluebird (Sialia sialis)  1
American Robin (Turdus migratorius)  1
Swamp Sparrow (Melospiza georgiana)  1
Pine Warbler (Setophaga pinus)  2
Yellow-rumped Warbler (Setophaga coronata)  12
Northern Cardinal (Cardinalis cardinalis)  3

View this checklist online at https://ebird.org/checklist/S204809102

This report was generated automatically by eBird v3 (https://ebird.org/home)