Friends Invite You to Come to Santee NW Refuge
                    "The best birding center in South Carolina and the Southeast."
                          Santee NW Refuge  2125 Fort Watson Rd.  Summerton, SC 29148
                           803-478-2217  West of I-95, exit 102 @ US 301/US 15, 6 miles south of Summerton, SC
                                    Home site:  www.santeerefugefriends.org
       Friends Invite You to Come to Santee NW Refuge

     "The best birding center in South Carolina and the Southeast."

       Santee NW Refuge  2125 Fort Watson Rd.  Summerton, SC 29148
       803-478-2217  West of I-95, exit 102 @ US 301/US 15, 6 miles south of Summerton, SC
Bird List: for Santee National Wildlife Refuge 
     Welcome to Santee National Wildlife Refuge, a haven for wildlife.  This area was set aside for protection May 5, 1941 to alleviate the loss of natural waterfowl and wildlife habitat caused by the construction of hydroelectric projects on the Santee and Cooper Rivers.
     The refuge encompasses 15,095 acres of mixed hardwoods, pine-hardwoods, pine plantations, marsh, croplands, old fields, ponds, impoundments and open waters.  Stretching for eighteen miles along the northern shore of Lake Marion, the refuge is a haven for a myriad of wildlife species including the 296 bird species that have been recorded on the refuge.  Other wildlife of interest includes American alligator, bobcat, white-tailed deer, and a number of reptile and amphibian species. The checklist is available to you at Santee NW Refuge Visitor Center or see below, copy table and print.
     This checklist is based on records and observations by refuge personnel, state biologists, and visiting birders as well as a information gleaned from numerous publications.  Since we try to keep our list up-to-date, it is important that persons who see a bird not listed, report this sighting to the refuge manager at Santee National Wildlife Refuge, 2125 Fort Watson Road, Summerton, SC  29148 (Telephone:  803-478-2217).
Since most birds are migratory, species use of the refuge is indicated by the following code:
a    Abundant (a common species which is very numerous)
c    Common (certain to be seen in suitable habitat)
u    Uncommon (present but not certain to be seen)
o    Occasional (seen only a few times during a season)
r     Rare (seen at intervals of 2 to 5 years)
ac   Has been seen no more than once or twice
          (These are listed at the end)
 Seasonal Appearance   
    Sp    Spring (March-May)
    Su    Summer (June-August)
    F      Fall (September-November)
    W    Winter (December-February)
         *   Breeds on the Santee Refuge
 Sp
 Su
 F
 W
___ Common Loon


u
___ Pied-billed Grebe*
 u
 o
 c
 a
___ Horned Grebe


u
___ Double-crested Cormorant
 c
 u
 c
 a
___ Anhinga
 c
 a
 c
 u
___ American Bittern
 r

u
___ Least Bittern*
 u
 u
 u
___ Great Blue Heron*
 c
 c
 a
 c
___ Great Egret
 c
 c
 a
 c
___ Snowy Egret
 o
 u
 u
 r
___ Little Blue Heron
 o
 u
 u
 r
___ Tricolored Heron
 u
 u
 u
 ac
___ Cattle Egret
 a
 a
 a
 r
___ Green Heron*
 a
 a
 a
 r
___ Black-crowned Night-Heron
 r
 r
 r
 ac
___ Yellow-crowned Night-Heron
 c
 c
 c
___ White Ibis
 o
 o
 o
 r
___ Wood Stork
 r
 r
 o
 ac
___ Black Vulture
 u
 u
 u
 u
___ Turkey Vulture
 c
 c
 c
 c
___ Greater White-fronted Goose


o
___ Snow Goose


u
___ Canada Goose


c
___ Tundra Swan


u
___ Wood Duck*
 a
 a
 a
 a
___ Gadwall


c
___ American Wigeon


c
___ American Black Duck
 r

o
___ Mallard
 o
 o
 u
 a
___ Blue-winged Teal
 o
c
 o
___ Northern Shoveler
 r

c
___ Northern Pintail



o
___ Green-winged Teal
 r

a
___ Canvasback


u
___ Redhead



u
___ Ring-necked Duck
 r

c
___ Greater Scaup


r
___ Lesser Scaup


o
___ Bufflehead



c
___ Common Goldeneye


r
___ Hooded Merganser


c
___ Red-breasted Merganser


o
___ Ruddy Duck


o
___ Osprey
 c
 c
 c
 u
___ Mississippi Kite
 o
 o

___ Bald Eagle*
c
 u
 u
 c
___ Northern Harrier
o
o
 c
___ Sharp-shinned Hawk
 o
o
 u
___ Cooper's Hawk
 r
 r
 r
 u
___ Red-shouldered Hawk
 c
 c
 c
 c
___ Broad-winged Hawk
 o
o
 ac
___ Red-tailed Hawk*
 c
 c
 c
 c
___ American Kestrel
 r
o
 c
___ Merlin
 r
r
 ac
___ Peregrine Falcon
 r
r
 r
___ Wild turkey*
 u
 u
 u
 u
___ Northern Bobwhite*
 u
 u
 u
 u
___ King Rail*
 o
 o
 o
 o
___ Virginia Rail
 r

o
___ Sora
 r


___ Purple Gallinule*
 u
 u

___ Common Moorhen*
 a
 a
 a
 c
___ American Coot
 u
 o
 o
 a
___ Sandhill Crane 


o
___ Black-bellied Plover
 r
r
___ Semipalmated Plover
 u
u
___ Killdeer*
c
 c
 c
 c
___ Greater Yellowlegs
 o
o
 o
___ Lesser Yellowlegs
 r
r
 r
___ Solitary Sandpiper
 o
o
___ Willet
r
r
___ Spotted Sandpiper
 o
o
 r
___ Upland Sandpiper
o
o
___ Semipalmated Plover
 r
r
___ Western Sandpiper 
r


___ Least Sandpiper
u
u
 r
___ White-rumped Sandpiper
 r
r
___ Pectoral Sandpiper
 o
u
___ Dunlin
 r
r
 ac
___ Stilt Sandpiper
r
r
___ Short-billed Dowitcher
 u
u
___ Wilson's Snipe
 o
r
 c
___ American Woodcock*
o
 o
 o
 u
___ Laughing Gull
o
 o
 u
 r
___ Bonaparte's Gull
 r

u
___ Ring-billed Gull
c
 r
 c
 c
___ Herring Gull
u
 r
 u
 u
___ Caspian Tern
o
o
 r
___ Royal Tern
r
r
___ Forster's Tern
 r
o
 u
___ Least Tern
 o
 r
 o
___ Black Tern
 r
r
___ Rock Pigeon*
c
 c
 c
 c
___ Mourning Dove*
a
 a
 a
 a
___ Yellow-billed Cuckoo
 u
 u
 u
___ Barn Owl*
 o
 o
 o
 o
___ Eastern Screech Owl*
 c
 c
 c
 c
___ Great Horned Owl*
 c
 c
 c
 c
___ Barred Owl*
 c
 c
 c
 c
___ Common Nighthawk*
 u
 o
 u
___ Chuck-will's Widow*
 c
 c
 u
___ Whip-por-will*
c
 c
 u
 ac
___ Chimney Swift*
c
 c
 c
 ac
___ Ruby-throated Hummingbird*
c
 u
 c
___ Belted Kingfisher*
u
 o
 u
 c
___ Red-headed Woodpecker*
 u
 u
 u
 u
___ Red-bellied Woodpecker*
 c
 c
 c
 c
___ Yellow-bellied Sapsucker
o
r
 c
___ Downy Woodpecker*
 c
 c
 c
 c
___ Hairy Woodpecker*
 u
 u
 u
 u
___ Northern Flicker*
 c
 u
 c
 a
___ Pileated Woodpecker*
 c
 c
 c
 c
___ Eastern Wood-Pewee*
 c
 c
 c
___ Acadian Flycatcher*
 c
 c
 c
___ Willow Flycatcher
r
r
___ Eastern Phoebe
 o
o
 c
___ Great Crested Flycatcher*
 c
 c
 c
___ Eastern Kingbird*
c
 c
 c
___ Loggerhead Shrike* 
 u
 u
 u
 u
___ White-eyed Vireo*
 c
 c
 c
 c
___ Yellow-throated Vireo*
 c
 c
 c
___ Blue-headed Vireo
 o
o
 c
___ Warbling Vireo
 o
 o
 o
___ Red-eyed Vireo*
 c
 c
 c
___ Blue Jay*
 c
 c
 c
 c
___ American Crow*
 a
 a
 a
 a
___ Fish Crow*
 a
 a
 c
 r
___ Purple Martin*
 c
 c
 u
___ Tree Swallow
 a
 ac
 a
 r
___ Northern Rough-winged Swallow*
 u
 u
 u
___ Bank Swallow
 o
 u
 o
___ Cliff Swallow
 o
 u
 o
___ Barn Swallow*
 a
 a
 a
___ Carolina Chickadee*
 c
 c
 c
 c
___ Tufted Titmouse*
c
 c
 c
 c
___ Red-breasted Nuthatch*



r
___ White-breasted Nuthatch*
u
 u
 u
 u
___ Brown-headed Nuthatch*
 c
 c
 c
 c
___ Brown Creeper



u
___ Carolina Wren*
 c
 c
 c
 c
___ House Wren
o

c
___ Winter Wren


u
___ Sedge Wren
 o

u
___ Marsh Wren*
 u
 u
 u
 u
___ Golden crowned Kinglet

o
 u
___ Ruby crowned Kinglet
 u
o
 a
___ Blue gray Gnatcatcher
 c
 c
 c
 u
___ Eastern Bluebird
 c
 c
 c
 c
___ Veery
 u
u
___ Gray cheeked Thrush
 r
r
___ Bicknell's Thrush
 r
r
___ Swainson's Thrush
 u
u
___ Hermit Thrush
 u
o
 c
___ Wood Thrush*
 c
 c
 c
 c
___ American Robin
 u
 u
 c
 c
___ Gray Catbird
 u
 o
 u
 u
___ Northern Mockingbird*
 c
 c
 c
 c
___ Brown Thrasher*
 c
 c
 c
 c
___ European Starling*
 c
 c
 a
 a
___ American Pipit
 r
o
 u
___ Cedar Waxwing
o
r
 c
___ Blue winged Warbler
 r
r
___ Golden winged Warbler
 r
r
___ Tennessee Warbler
 o
u
___ Orange crowned Warbler
 o
r
 u
___ Nashville Warbler
 r
r
___ Northern Parula*
 c
 c
 c
___ Yellow Warbler
c
c
 ac
___ Chestnut-sided Warbler
 o
u
___ Magnolia Warbler
 o
u
___ Cape May Warbler
 o
u
___ Black throated Blue Warbler
 o
u
___ Yellow rumped Warbler
 o
o
 a
___ Black throated Green Warbler
 o
u
___ Blackburnian Warbler
 o
u
___ Yellow throated Warbler*
 c
 c
 c
 r
___ Pine Warbler*
 c
 c
 c
 c
___ Prairie Warbler*
 c
 u
 u
 r
___ Palm Warbler
 o
o
 u
___ Bay-breasted Warbler
 o
u
___ Blackpoll Warbler
 u
r
___ Cerulean Warbler
 r
r
___ Black-and-White Warbler
 u
 o
 u
 o
___ American Redstart
 u
 r
 u
___ Prothonotary Warbler*
c
 c
 c
___ Worm-eating Warbler
u
u
___ Swainson's Warbler
 u
 u
 o
___ Ovenbird
 u
u
___ Northern Waterthrush
 u
u
___ Louisiana Waterthrush*
u
 u
 u
___ Kentucky Warbler*
u
 u
 u
___ Connecticut Warbler


r
___ Mourning Warbler
r
r
___ Common Yellowthroat*
 c
 c
 c
 c
___ Hooded Warbler*
 c
 c
 c
___ Wilson's Warbler
o
o
 r
___ Canada Warbler
u
u
___ Yellow-breasted Chat*
 c
 c
 u
___ Summer Tanager*
c
 c
 c
___ Scarlet Tanager
o
u
___ Eastern Towhee*
c
 c
 c
 c
___ Bachman's Sparrow*
r
 r
 r
 ac
___ Chipping Sparrow*
c
 u
 c
 c
___ Field Sparrow*
c
 u
 c
 c
___ Vesper Sparrow


o
___ Savannah Sparrow
 u
u
 c
___ LeConte's Sparrow
 r

r
___ Fox Sparrow


r
 u
___ Song Sparrow
 o
o
 c
___ Lincoln's Sparrow


r
___ Swamp Sparrow
 o
o
 c
___ White throated Sparrow
 o
o
 c
___ White crowned Sparrow



r
___ Dark eyed Junco
 o
r
 c
___ Northern Cardinal*
 a
 a
 a
 a
___ Rose breasted Grosbeak
 u
u
___ Blue Grosbeak*
 c
 c
 c
___ Indigo Bunting*
 c
 c
 c
___ Painted Bunting*
 u
 u
 o
___ Dickcissel*
 r
 r
 r
___ Bobolink
 u
u
___ Red-winged Blackbird*
 c
 c
 c
 u
___ Eastern Meadowlark*
 u
 u
 u
 u
___ Rusty Blackbird
o

u
___ Common Grackle*
 c
 c
 c
 a
___ Boat tailed Grackle
 r
 r
 r
 ac
___ Brown headed Cowbird
c
 c
 c
 a
___ Orchard Oriole*
 c
 c
 c
___ Baltimore Oriole
 o
o
___ Purple Finch


o
___ House Finch*
 u
 u
 u
 u
___ Pine Siskin
 r

o
___ American Goldfinch
 r
 r
 r
 c
___ Evening Grossbeak


r
___ House Sparrow
 o
 o
 o
 o
Species whose appearance is considered accidental:
Red throated Loon
 Red necked Grebe  
Eared Grebe 
 American White Pelican
Glossy Ibis
 Fulvous Whistling Duck
Ross's Goose
 Barnacle Goose
Mute Swan
 Eurasian Wigeon
Cinnamon Teal
 White winged Scoter
Common Merganser
 Swallow tailed Kite
Rough legged Hawk 
 Golden Eagle
Yellow Rail 
 Black Rail
American Golden Plover
 Wilson's Plover
Piping Plover
 American Avocet
Whimbrel
 Marbled Godwit
Ruddy Turnstone
 Red Knot
Sanderling
 Buff-breasted Sandpiper
Ruff
 Long-billed Dowitcher
Wilson's Phalarope
 Franklin's Gull
Common tern
 Black Skimmer
Common Ground Dove
 Black billed Cuckoo
Long-eared Owl 
 Short-eared Owl 
Northern Saw-whet Owl
 Red-cockaded Woodpecker
Olive sided Flycatcher
 Yellow bellied Flycatcher
Least Flycatcher
 Western Kingbird
Scissor-tailed Flycatcher
 Gray Kingbird
Bell's Vireo
 Philadelphia Vireo
Horned Lark
 Bewick's Wren
Sprague's Pipit
 Kirkland's Warbler
Western Tanager
 Clay-colored Sparrow 
Lark Sparrow
 Grasshopper Sparrow
Henslow's Sparrow
 Western Meadowlark
Yellow-headed Blackbird
 Brewer's Blackbird

Happy Birding.
Friends of Santee National Wildlife Refuge Friends of Santee NW Refuge
Santee NW Refuge  2125 Fort Watson Rd.  Summerton, SC 29148
       803-478-2217  West of I-95, exit 102 @ US 301/US 15, 6 miles south of Summerton, SC
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