Back on the Trail Deep in the ACE Basin

 

Two days before Thanksgiving worked out well for a visit to the ACE Basin, the Lowcountry treasure of vast wilderness and wildlife. 

With the Donnelley and Bear Island state nature preserves closed for seasonal hunting I made the 50-mile drive to the Ernest F. Hollings National Wildlife Refuge, which prohibits hunting.

This refuge near Hollywood and Meggett was established in 1990. It consists of 11,815 acres. The ACE in ACE Basin stands for three rivers- the Ashepoo, Combahee and Edisto that run and drain through a protected system of 350,000 acres representing one of the largest undeveloped wetland ecosystems remaining on America’s East Coast. Ernest Hollings (1922-2019) of Charleston was a longtime and colorful political figure as a South Carolina governor and U.S. senator. 

Among the features is the Grove Plantation house that was built in 1828 by George Washington Morris (1799-1834), grandson of Lewis Morris, a signer of the Declaration of Independence. The late Federal-style structure is one of the few antebellum mansions in the region to survive the Civil War. Today it serves as offices for U.S. Fish and Wildlife staffers who maintain the vast property. 

The front of the house faces toward the Edisto River. Back then the river was a key mode of transportation and transport so when friends, family, or business associates arrived by boat they would see the front of the home. 

A lovely canopy of live oak trees leads today’s visitors to a parking area near the back of the house. 

Back of the house view. 

The house has had many owners over the years. For a timeline of owners see this site. It also mentions how in 1857 there were 136 enslaved people working here and that inside the house are rooms that are polygonal, meaning rooms with a combination of straight and angled walls. Think triangle or pentagon shapes.  

Next time I visit I will need to go when the building is open and can photograph these polygonal rooms. 

An old rusty water spigot looks like it is still used to fill water in the small decorative pond. 

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service acquired the house in 1992 and has done a fine job keeping it and the grounds looking good. 

There are some nice architectural touches such as this arched walkway, the three hanging lanterns and a bell.

At the end of my visit, I rang the bell on another good experience at the Hollings preserve. Well, I tried to ring the bell but the clapper is fixed so the bell doesn’t actually ring. 

I did a four-mile walk following the trail that goes around the refuge. Hurricane Helene last month caused flooding here, as shown on a visitor’s social media post a few weeks ago. So I was pleased that today it is very walkable and safe. 

Back in the 1700s and pre-Civil War 1800s Grove Plantation was a prosperous (for its owners and families- not so much for the 136 enslaved workers back in 1857) rice producer. Today the old rice impoundment waterways are still here and are closely monitored and controlled by the large wooden trunks (seen above) that can be opened and closed to water flow from the nearby Edisto River. 

This time of year I expected to see some migratory and local birds in the waters, but alas that was not to be. 

This beautiful Great Blue Heron was the only bird I photographed in the rice fields. Nice shot though right! 

This creek connects in the distance to the Edisto River. Often alligators can be seen in the water or the banks but not today as the gators are likely in winter hibernation mode. 

On the section of trail near the river I spotted a Belted Kingfisher, one of my favorite birds. 

Colorful in appearance and disposition, the “BK” can be very boisterous with a distinctive piercing cackle. 

The Kingfisher is very flighty too, always on the move. So I was pleased that this one stayed put long enough for me to take a few wide shots and then close-ups as it moved between two posts near the water. 

This is a female Belted Kingfisher. The tell is the rust colors on the breast. The males don’t have that.

It’s rare in the bird world for the female of the species to be more colorful than the male. 

Walking the trail I saw many of these small birds flying back and forth in front of me between the trees and shrubbery. 

This is the Savannah Sparrow, named for Savannah, Ga. (see my 2012 post on the Savannah National Wildlife Refuge) where in 1811 Scottish-American ornithologist Alexander Wilson first saw the species. He has several birds named for him: Wilson's Warbler, Wilson's Plover, and others. 

I like this photo of the bird from behind with the nice feathery symmetry. 

The Savannah Sparrow resembles the Chipping Sparrow, a common backyard feeder bird at our house. The Savannah type is different with the yellow coloring above the eyes. And I read that this type doesn’t want anything to do with backyard feeders preferring wide open areas with low vegetation to eat seeds above and on the ground. 

I almost forgot about the Turkeys! On the dirt road to the Hollings NWR a flock of Wild Turkeys scurried into the woods. With my iPhone, I took this picture of two of them. 

With Thanksgiving in two days I advised the gobblers to lay low all week lol. 

I saved my favorite bird for last! Soon after entering the park, I noticed this bird from several hundred yards away. Zooming in, the profile had me thinking Falcon. 

Yes. it is a Falcon, an American Kestrel. Note the distinctive vertical stripes on the neck. This falcon is the smallest of the species and the most common type in North America. 

I needed processing in Snapseed to bring out the bird’s coloring. 

I’ve only photographed a few types of Falcons, this American Kestrel and also a Merlin (at Magnolia Cemetery some years ago). The Merlin is shown in my newly published book, "The Birds of Magnolia Cemetery: Charleston's Secret Bird Sanctuary" (Second Edition). 

Part of the trail is a long wooded section. Here is where this pretty green butterfly was fluttering near me. It spent a long time on this leaf so I was able to snap several photos. 

I believe this is a Cloudless Sulpher butterfly. It looks too green possibly as this type is on the yellow side, per my online research. But it is my best bet so far, and is now confirmed on a South Carolina butterfly Facebook site. 

As I neared the end of my hike I took this selfie showing the wooded part of the Hollings refuge. It was more buggy here than out in the open areas where gusty winds and moderate temperatures made for an invigorating walking experience. 

A railroad used to run through the area shown above. I’ve been here several times and continue to be curious about the Seaboard Coast (Railroad) Line. You can tell the ground was built up for the tracks. 

This marker seems to be part of that bygone era. 

Check out this site that shows the route of the Seaboard Coast line. The detailed map includes the name Megett, Green Pond and Ravenel, all places here in the ACE Basin and Lowcountry. 

The rail line is not as old as I thought. It began in 1967 with a large shipment of Tropicana orange juice transported from Florida to New Jersey. The line only last until the early 1980s apparently. 

This hunter hide also reminds of past times. 

Enough said about hunting at this federal property.

I’m not sure what type of tree this is but it produces a large berry that I’m sure is food for some of the creatures that roam the fields and waters here. 

We are really blessed and privileged to have several places in the Lowcountry with similar layouts of the Hollings National Wildlife Refuge. I really appreciate them and look forward to another visit in the hopefully not too distant future. 

On the upstairs front porch of the Grove Plantation House sitting in a rocking chair before hitting the hiking trail. And I have on my sunscreen, as always. See you down the road friends!