Santee National Wildlife Refuge
Robin Carter
Directions
To reach the Bluff Unit of Santee NWR from I-95, exit at North Santee (Exit 102). Take the service road west a short distance to the old road (US 15-US 301). At US 15-US 301, turn right (north), towards Summerton, and go about 0.3 miles to Road 803, the main entrance road into the refuge. The visitor center is about a half mile down this road. Even if the visitor center is closed there is a kiosk where you can pick up refuge information
Birds to look for
Greater White-fronted Goose (w), Snow Goose (w), Ross's Goose (w), Cackling Goose (w), Canada Goose (w), Tundra Swan (w), Wood Duck, Gadwall (w), American Wigeon (w), American Black Duck (w), Mallard, Blue-winged Teal (w), Northern Shoveler (w), Green-winged Teal (w), Canvasback (w), Redhead (w), Ring-necked Duck (w), Lesser Scaup (w), Bufflehead (w), Common Goldeneye (w), Hooded Merganser (w), Ruddy Duck (w), Wild Turkey, Northern Bobwhite, Pied-billed Grebe, Double-crested Cormorant, Anhinga (s), American Bittern (w), Least Bittern (s), Great Blue Heron, Great Egret, Snowy Egret (s), Little Blue Heron (s), Cattle Egret (s), White Ibis, Osprey, Mississippi Kite (s), Bald Eagle, Northern Harrier (w), American Kestrel (w), Merlin (m, w), Peregrine Falcon (m, s), King Rail, Virginia Rail (w), Sora (w), Purple Gallinule (s), Common Moorhen, American Coot (w), Sandhill Crane (w), American Woodcock (w), Wilson's Snipe (w), Laughing Gull (s), Bonaparte's Gull (w), Ring-billed Gull (w), Caspian Tern (m), Forster's Tern, Great Horned Owl, Belted Kingfisher, Loggerhead Shrike, Sedge Wren (w), American Pipit (w), Savannah Sparrow (w), Blue Grosbeak (s), Indigo Bunting (s), Painted Bunting (s), Rusty Blackbird (w), Orchard Oriole (s)
Description
Santee NWR is in four units, scattered along the north shore of Lake Marion on both sides of I-95. Get a map at the visitor center.
The Bluff Unit has the visitor center, and also the Wright's Bluff Nature Trail. This trail, which is open all year, has observation points on Cantey Bay of Lake Marion (good for ducks) and also a goose observation tower, from which you might see as many as five species of geese in the winter. It is also a good trail for migrant and wintering warblers and vireos. The agricultural fields of the Bluff Unit are open from 2 March until 30 October.
The Dingle Pond Unit is open all year. It has an interesting wet Carolina bay, and is good for ducks, rails, and American Woodcocks in the winter.
The Pine Island Unit is very diverse, with wet, grassy fields, lakeside scrub, ponds, marshes, and oak-pine forest. It is open from 2 March through 30 October. It is a good place to look for marsh birds during the nesting season, including Least Bittern and Purple Gallinule.
The Cuddo Unit has an auto nature trail that is open all year long, except during a limited number of hunts in the fall and winter. It has good swamp forest and views of the lake, as well as grassy fields. The parts of the Cuddo Unit away from the auto tour road are open from 2 March until 30 October.
The Santee NWR Christmas Bird Count, which covers Santee State Park and areas outside of the refuge as well as most of the refuge, is one of the best in South Carolina, averaging about 130 species.
Many rarities have been seen at Santee NWR over the years, including White-tailed Kite, Golden Eagle, Yellow Rail, Vermilion Flycatcher, Warbling Vireo, Philadelphia Vireo, and LeConte's Sparrow.
Links
- Official website
- Bird Checklist
- Lake Marion Passage of the Palmetto Trail
- Wright's Bluff Nature Trail
- Cuddo Unit Bike Trail
- Cuddo Unit Walking Trail