February 18, 2014. This day promises to be one of the first warm winter days we’ve had in a long time; it’s 44º at 8:30 AM with an expected high of 70º. I’m still shocked at all of the tree damage from the ice storm. Walking down the Sims Trail, which has lots of tree […]
February 15, 2014. As I approach the park this morning, I start seeing indications of ice damage from a storm that passed through the southern Midlands on Wednesday, February 12. We barely had a limb down in Columbia, but only ten miles south the damage is widespread and heavy. The park has only recently re-opened […]
February 6, 2014. This morning is clear with seasonal temperatures. A cardinal is singing its cheery song, reminding us that the days are getting longer and, for the most part, warmer. I see no holly berries on any of the trees I pass. A good number of holly leaves appear munched on and skeletonized by […]
https://i0.wp.com/friendsofcongaree.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/pine-regen-oak-ridge-trail.jpg?fit=2592%2C1944&ssl=119442592John Gregohttps://friendsofcongaree.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/logo1.pngJohn Grego2019-02-06 16:55:332019-02-06 16:55:33A Big Opening in the Forest
Five years after my first winter bird survey, I operated a banding station, using mist nets for capturing birds, at the census/survey plot for a single season in the winter of 1991-92. Banding and census/survey work are two entirely different approaches for determining the number of species and their abundance on a particular site, and […]
One very cold but sunny Christmas day back in the early 1980s, I visited the park for a few hours of birding and to hopefully work off a few holiday calories. After a period of walking, I stumbled across an impressive display of bird numbers, enough to make me forget the cold: hundreds of noisy […]
January 29. Today is a rare opportunity to see snow in the swamp. The white stuff came in last night for several hours with about two-and-a-half to three inches of accumulation. Roads are drivable by noon, and I arrive at the park at 1:00 PM. There are six cars in the parking lot, and I […]
https://i0.wp.com/friendsofcongaree.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/cypress-knees-in-the-snow-e1568564160482.jpg?fit=400%2C300&ssl=1300400John Gregohttps://friendsofcongaree.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/logo1.pngJohn Grego2019-01-27 22:49:102019-09-15 12:16:16Snow in the Swamp, Conclusion
January 28. It’s 9:00 AM, and I’m running late this overcast morning. The temperature is around 40º, but with the wind, feels more like 30°. Snow is supposed to be on the way by early afternoon. I’m walking the boardwalk loop, about two and a half miles. The swamp is drying out from recent floods, […]
https://i0.wp.com/friendsofcongaree.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/unknown-black-larva-2-e1568564090763.jpg?fit=600%2C450&ssl=1450600John Gregohttps://friendsofcongaree.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/logo1.pngJohn Grego2019-01-27 11:40:122019-09-15 12:15:19Snow in the Swamp, continued
East atop Buckeye Ridge 18 October 2018 Neal Polhemus Congaree is a special place unlike any other natural space in South Carolina – where the ebb and flow of river and rain water dictate more than any other factor the extent to which one can interact with the towering giants of the old-growth floodplain forest. […]
January 4, 2014 I roll into the parking lot at 7:00 AM. There has been a hard freeze this morning, down to around 24º, and I’m hoping for some sun to warm things up, but it’s 100% overcast. Fortunately there is no wind. I walk down the low boardwalk as far as I can go […]
https://i0.wp.com/friendsofcongaree.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/John-Cely-e1568563701803.jpg?fit=600%2C739&ssl=1739600John Gregohttps://friendsofcongaree.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/logo1.pngJohn Grego2019-01-04 22:38:402019-09-15 12:11:53Snow in the Swamp
I have spent more than 40 years exploring the wonders of Congaree National Park. Much of my early exploration was devoted to learning the “lay of the land,” a difficult task in a trackless forest with few landmarks. Later exploration became somewhat more focused – searching for and measuring big trees, studying the park’s flora […]
Big Persimmons
in John Cely's Congaree JournalFebruary 18, 2014. This day promises to be one of the first warm winter days we’ve had in a long time; it’s 44º at 8:30 AM with an expected high of 70º. I’m still shocked at all of the tree damage from the ice storm. Walking down the Sims Trail, which has lots of tree […]
Ice Storm
in John Cely's Congaree JournalFebruary 15, 2014. As I approach the park this morning, I start seeing indications of ice damage from a storm that passed through the southern Midlands on Wednesday, February 12. We barely had a limb down in Columbia, but only ten miles south the damage is widespread and heavy. The park has only recently re-opened […]
A Big Opening in the Forest
in John Cely's Congaree JournalFebruary 6, 2014. This morning is clear with seasonal temperatures. A cardinal is singing its cheery song, reminding us that the days are getting longer and, for the most part, warmer. I see no holly berries on any of the trees I pass. A good number of holly leaves appear munched on and skeletonized by […]
Winter Birds, Conclusion
in John Cely's Congaree JournalFive years after my first winter bird survey, I operated a banding station, using mist nets for capturing birds, at the census/survey plot for a single season in the winter of 1991-92. Banding and census/survey work are two entirely different approaches for determining the number of species and their abundance on a particular site, and […]
Essay: Winter Birds, Part 1
in John Cely's Congaree JournalOne very cold but sunny Christmas day back in the early 1980s, I visited the park for a few hours of birding and to hopefully work off a few holiday calories. After a period of walking, I stumbled across an impressive display of bird numbers, enough to make me forget the cold: hundreds of noisy […]
Snow in the Swamp, Conclusion
in John Cely's Congaree JournalJanuary 29. Today is a rare opportunity to see snow in the swamp. The white stuff came in last night for several hours with about two-and-a-half to three inches of accumulation. Roads are drivable by noon, and I arrive at the park at 1:00 PM. There are six cars in the parking lot, and I […]
Snow in the Swamp, continued
in John Cely's Congaree JournalJanuary 28. It’s 9:00 AM, and I’m running late this overcast morning. The temperature is around 40º, but with the wind, feels more like 30°. Snow is supposed to be on the way by early afternoon. I’m walking the boardwalk loop, about two and a half miles. The swamp is drying out from recent floods, […]
East atop Buckeye Ridge
in JournalsEast atop Buckeye Ridge 18 October 2018 Neal Polhemus Congaree is a special place unlike any other natural space in South Carolina – where the ebb and flow of river and rain water dictate more than any other factor the extent to which one can interact with the towering giants of the old-growth floodplain forest. […]
Snow in the Swamp
in John Cely's Congaree JournalJanuary 4, 2014 I roll into the parking lot at 7:00 AM. There has been a hard freeze this morning, down to around 24º, and I’m hoping for some sun to warm things up, but it’s 100% overcast. Fortunately there is no wind. I walk down the low boardwalk as far as I can go […]
Introduction
in John Cely's Congaree JournalI have spent more than 40 years exploring the wonders of Congaree National Park. Much of my early exploration was devoted to learning the “lay of the land,” a difficult task in a trackless forest with few landmarks. Later exploration became somewhat more focused – searching for and measuring big trees, studying the park’s flora […]