Field Notes

Monthly Weather Review
Average Monthly Rainfall- 5.25in
Highest Temperature- 91.0 F
Lowest Temperature- 71.0 F
Average Wind Speed- 5.2 mph

7/1/2024

• July 1 was Anna Anderson’s first day as Watershed Steward at Southern 8ths Field Station. She found empty Asian clam shells and a river snail shell at kayak put-in on Thompson Creek.
• While getting familiar with the farm she also found an Eastern Box Turtle.

7/10/24

A large snake skin was found in one of the wooden sculptures on the property. However, we did not come upon the owner of the skin! Mostly likely it was a Rat Snake. They are the largest native South Carolina snake, growing up to 7 feet!

7/15/24

• An Eastern Phoebe hatchling was found to have fallen out of the nest. It was placed back with its siblings.
• All the Phoebes successfully fledged the nest the next day!

7/16/24

• Morgan and Anna came across Turkey hatchlings while out on a trail.
• An Eastern Box Turtle was observed.

7/17/24

While out on the weekly route of checking all the bird boxes, Morgan observed an Eastern Bluebird fledging leave the nest and rest in a nearby tree.

7/20/24

CWF hosted Bill Strosnider, Director of the Baruch Marine Field Laboratory and Interim Director of the Belle W. Baruch Institute for Marine and Coastal Sciences at University of South Carolina, along and his family for a tour of the field station. Bill’s interest was in water quality and his wife Chris’s interest was invasive plant species. During their tour, they were able to see our biggest prairies and our hotspots along Thompson Creek.

7/30/24

During a sound meter check in Fireworks Prairie, we came across a covey (a group) of Bobwhite Quail hanging out in the grass.

Authors: Morgan Warner and Anna Anderson