Savannah National Wildlife Refuge

September 27, 2018

 

Savannah National Wildlife Refuge

The second stop on our trip home from Winston-Salem to Key West was a place that I had never been, but sort of pulled out of hat so to speak after looking at the road map of what possible stops that Jack and I might enjoy as we traveled home. The Savannah National Wildlife Refuge is located along the South Carolina/ Georgia border, just to the North of Savannah, Georgia. 

 

While I have been to Savannah and the Lowcountry of South Carolina before, I had never really stopped to check out the natural areas that the refuge represents. Known for its rich flora during the humid summer months, the region also supports a diverse wildlife population. The variety of birdlife within the Lowcountry is enhanced by its location on the Atlantic Flyway. During the winter months, thousands of mallards, pintails, teal and as many as ten other species of ducks migrate into the area, joining resident wood ducks on the refuge. In the spring and fall, transient songbirds stop briefly on their journey to and from northern nesting grounds.







The refuge is home to a large variety of wildlife including: ducks, geese, wading birds, and shorebirds. Several threatened and endangered species are protected on the refuge, including the American alligator, flatwoods salamander, bald eagle, wood stork, shortnose sturgeon and Florida manatee. The refuge also provides nesting areas for wood ducks, great horned owls, osprey and swallow-tailed kites.









There is a great meandering 4.5 mile wildlife viewing drive, which is basically a dirt road that winds through the various habitats in the refuge. Much of it is former civil-war era rice fields that have become swamp-like habitats for the many various types of wildlife. Taking the drive was great as it allowed easy viewing of the park and allowed Jack to remain in the car so not to disturb any of the wildlife.







The drive was wonderful as many of the creatures that call the place home were on display. There were all sorts of cool waterfowl. I saw the largest concentration of beautiful Rosette Spoonbills that I have ever seen, they seemed to be everywhere. We also saw a number of alligators, lizards and cool insects as well.









The refuge is riddled with canals and impoundment dikes left over from the water management system from the former rice plantations and they provide excellent habitat for the array of wildlife that calls the refuge home. The weather was spectacular during our visit and it was a great break in the drive to stop at such a beautiful location.







Our next stop was a brief stop at Daytona International Speedway, which just happened to be located at one of the gas stops along our route. We drove down and looked at the famed oval from the road and the visitor center and checked out the statue of the late Dale Earnhardt and the Speedway’s walk of fame where each Daytona 500 winner puts their hand and footprints in cement.