(Clocklwise from top left) Swallow-tailed kites need large swaths of open land to forage when they visit in the spring and summer; Eastern meadlowlarks forage in open fields for seeds, sometimes in big flocks. They may even visit a backyard offering hulled sunflower seeds or cracked corn; The loggerhead shrike has songbird looks but raptor instincts; A traditional South Carolina hunting bird, the northern bobwhite is on the decline due to habitat loss.
Open fields have all but vanished from our landscape, but efforts are underway to change that
The most diminished of all Lowcountry habitats, grasslands are a veritable buffet of pollen and nectar for painted buntings, sparrows, and others. But over the centuries, most wide-open fields of native grasses, such as coreopsis, milkweed, and sedge, have been converted to agriculture, loblolly pine plantations, and other forms of development, leaving the birdlife that depends on them in decline.
Take the northern bobwhite, which forage mostly on seeds and leaves and prefer to nest in low vegetation. In other words, everything they need to survive is within 10 inches of the ground, a level once sustained by grazing livestock or through fire. The loss of this sort of habitat has contributed to a cumulative 80 percent decrease in the US bobwhite population from 1966 to 2019, according to the North American Breeding Bird Survey.
The northern bobwhite’s status as a traditional hunting bird in rural South Carolina has led to conservation efforts over the years by private landowners, with limited success. More recently, however, Audubon’s Francis Beidler Forest restored some of its land at The Bend, between I-26 and Four Holes Swamp, as grasslands on a scheduled prescribed fire program. They’ve yet to confirm any nests, says Audubon president Tyrrell. “But for the first time in a long time, we heard the familiar ‘bob-white’ whistles, indicating that perhaps we have some quail coming back to enjoy the restored habitat.”
Over at the Ernest F. Hollings ACE Basin National Wildlife Refuge, manager Brett Craig is in the early stages of developing more grassland to sustain migratory visitors such as swallow-tailed kites, which require huge swaths of open land to forage when they’re visiting in spring and summer. While the species is in decline in the state, the ACE Basin remains a stronghold. For wildlife biologist Lanham, who is also a poet, glimpsing one of these raptors in flight is inspirational. “If flight were embodied, it’d be in a swallow-tailed kite more than any other bird. Every movement that it makes, aerially, is ballet,” he says. “For them to travel 300 miles is nothing, a few flaps of their wings. They’re here in spring and summer, but they are also in Central and South America. We get to host them, which connects us to other worlds.”
Habitat loss means these birds are harder to find, but thrilling to see
Swallow-tailed kite
Elanoides forficatus
Status: Endangered in South Carolina
This graceful raptor nests in mature forests but soars above open fields, eating (mostly insects) in flight and scanning for bigger prey for its young. Keep an eye out for them in the summer around area blackwater rivers, such as the Edisto. If you’re lucky enough to spy one, report your sighting at stki.thecenterforbirdsofprey.org.
Eastern meadowlark
Sturnella magna
Status: Declining
Technically a member of the blackbird family, this striking songbird may pay a visit to your backyard if hulled sunflower seeds or cracked corn are on offer. In wintertime, flocks numbering in the hundreds may forage together for seeds in grassy fields.
Loggerhead shrike
Lanius ludovicianus
Status: Declining
With sweet songbird looks that belie its true nature, the shrike jabs its sharp outer beak into the nape of prey—everything from grasshoppers to animals as big as itself—to paralyze it, often impaling the victim on a thorn or barbed wire for easy dining.
Northern bobwhite
Colinus virginianus
Status: Declining
As small farms have waned in the last 50 years, so has the habitat for quail, which once thrived in the overgrown fields of the countryside. Recent counts in the state have been more promising, however. Come springtime, listen for the hallmark whistle—bob-white!—in Audubon’s Francis Beidler Forest.
