Dr. Jacqueline Litzgus, Ph.D. returned to the Lowcountry this week for the Turtle Survival Alliance's 2017 Symposium on the Conservation and Biology of Tortoises and Freshwater Turtles. She brought along some current and former Laurentian University students when she visited the old-growth swamp at the Francis Beidler Forest. Not only did Jackie want to revisit the site of her spotted turtle research (and marriage ceremony), she was hoping to locate one of her former subjects...and she did!
In her words: That
female spotted turtle we found is quite a special one! I have my PhD data on my laptop, so I looked her up when I got to my hotel room. She is notch code 1R2L = 6F, and she is the same size and mass as she was 17 years ago. She was part of the mark-recapture study for 5 years, 2000-2004, I radio-tracked her for 3 years, 2000-2002, and she is the first turtle I found nesting during my PhD research - see attached pics - she is the one that taught me to look on the tops of rotten logs for nesting turtles. In 2001, she produced 3 clutches of eggs, which had never before been reported for wild spotted turtles, so that prompted me to publish the attached paper about multiple clutching in the species. Unfortunately, all 3 clutches were eaten by predators that year. But in 2002, I had the privilege to meet her 3 babies that hatched from her 1st nest that year (she produced 2 nests, 2 weeks apart).
(More from Jackie's perspective at Audubon South Carolina website)
6F's measurements - Image by Mark Musselman
6F's nest in 2001 - Image by Jacqueline Litzgus
6F's nest in 2001 - Image by Jacqueline Litzgus
Jackie Litzgus holding 6F on 8/5/2017 - Image by Mark Musselman
While on patrol for destructive wild pigs on the east side of the swamp nearly opposite the Francis Beidler Forest nature center, I walked up on a female bobcat and her three kittens tucked inside a standing hollow tree.
Wild pigs numbers were greatly diminished after the extreme high water resulting from the 1000-year rain event in October 2015 and Hurricane Matthew in October 2016. However, since the water level in the swamp has dropped, wild pigs have been rooting up every foot of exposed moist soil and reproducing and reproducing. Therefore, I was patrolling to survey the damage and was prepared to shoot any pigs that showed themselves in the open. Unfortunately, the damage was extensive and no pigs were spotted.
I was making a less-than-stealthy march through the dwarf palmettos on the way back to the truck, when a reddish-haired mammal began slinking away in front of me. It was obviously a mammal, but looked initially like a woodchuck low to the ground and somewhat flattened around the edges. It was not a woodchuck, as they are not in this area and the body proportions were wrong. The animal in question was longer. I thought maybe a red fox due to the hair color, but there was no tail. Even when the animal stopped, turned broadside to me and stared, I remained unconvinced it was a bobcat. Cat, definitely, but the hair was so reddish. It was too big to be a domestic cat, but a bobcat would not stand 20 meters from me and stare...unless there was something she really wanted to protect. Just as I began to scan the area for a possible den site, the sounds of young kittens began emanating from the base of the tree to my right. Bending forward and peering around the side of the tree, I could see it was hollow and occupied by three kittens.
Before mom decided to return and possibly fight for her offspring, I captured the short video linked below. I made an even noisier retreat to ensure the female bobcat knew that I was gone and it was safe to return to her kittens.
We do not conduct any surveys of the alligator population within Audubon's Francis Beidler Forest. However, anecdotal observations point to a bumper crop of young alligators this year. No guarantee that those youngsters will grow to adults, but insects, frogs, and small fish should remain alert!
In the image below, four or five of the thirteen young alligators can be seen floating at the surface of the water along an old logging road that was built into the swamp. All were basking on the sunny road prior to our arrival.
Young alligators - Image by Mark Musselman
On another day along our canoe trail, a young alligator attempted to hide below the water's surface directly below our canoe. We were touring the property with Carolyn Davis, who was down on an inspection visit from the National Natural Landmark's Gettysburg, Pennsylvania office. As Carolyn was not getting a quality image for her report, we literally offered a helping hand.
Young alligator - Image by Carolyn Davis
In the 1960s, logging roads built in the swamp were created by "borrowing" soils and piling those soils onto non-target timber logs laid out like railroad ties. In most areas, the disconnected borrow pits remain alongside the roads, appearing to be ditches, and hold water throughout the year. The deeper water offers security for larger alligators, which go to the bottom to wait out any threat, as well as younger alligators, by offering a relatively predator-free environment with a protective mom always lurking within the pool.
The image below shows a pit forming a portion of a "ditch" along an old logging road. Note the clarity of the water within the pit. There was likely no large alligator activity within that pit.
Borrow pit - Image by Mark Musselman
The image below shows the same pit (right) from the above image and the adjacent pit to the north. Note the lack of clarity in the water in the pit on the left. Prior to the dozen or so young alligators entering the water from their basking areas on the road, a large alligator was heard launching into the murky water.
Borrow pits - Image by Mark Musselman
The image below shows the pit containing the adult alligator (somewhere below the water) along with the dozen or so young alligators, some of which can be made out floating near the surface below the cane at the bottom left of the pit. At the far end of the pit, a hole, sometimes called a den, dug into the bank has been exposed by the dropping level of the water.
Borrow pit - Image by Mark Musselman
The image below shows a closer look at a den dug into the bank similar to the image above.
Alligator den - Image by Mark Musselman
During the winter, alligators are usually safely below the water. They rise to the surface periodically to breath, but are generally inactive at our latitude. If the temperatures drop below freezing, alligators may retreat into the depths of a den they have dug. Earlier in the summer, some of the young alligators were observed retreating into the den for safety as we approached.
Although alligators in our area are generally inactive in the winter, that does not mean they are never active. On December 16, 2014, an alligator was encountered basking on an old logging road and blocking our path back to the truck.
That alligator probably got its start in a nearby borrow pit...maybe even the one it now calls home.
The wind and rain of Hurricane Matthew visited the Francis Beidler Forest October 7-8, 2016. In preparation for the storm, we put shutters on the windows, unplugged the electronics and went home.
Shuttered windows - Image Mark Musselman
Neither the wind nor the rain alone would have caused much damage to the swamp. However, in combination they brought down some mighty trees, mainly oaks. It rained through the night of October 7th, which saturated the ground and set up the shallow-rooted oaks for the morning winds of October 8th.
We knew there would be trees along driveway that would need to be cleared before we could access the buildings and boardwalk. There were twenty-one trees across the driveway and all but two simply tipped over.
Trees across driveway - Image Mark Musselman
The vast majority of the trees across the driveway fell adjacent to the recent clear-cut on our neighbor's property to the north. With absolutely nothing to slow the wind, the narrow strip of trees in the drainage along the north side of the driveway took the full brunt of the storm's winds.
Neighboring clear-cut visible in background - Image Mark Musselman
With help from the staff of the Silver Bluff Audubon Center and Sanctuary, the driveway was clear the day after the storm. No buildings sustained damage. The boardwalk had three damaged sections along the backside.
Driveway after clearing - Image Mark Musselman
The boardwalk damage spanned the spectrum from major to minor to emotional. One section sustained only damage to a few deck boards and was quickly repaired. Another portion of the boardwalk (image below) had an oak destroy the entire 12-foot section, but the repair was straightforward.
Damaged boardwalk - Image Richard Covey
Major damage was inflicted upon the boardwalk by an oak tipping from alongside the boardwalk with the root ball uplifting an entire section like a drawbridge. Full of soil, the root ball cannot be chainsawed without damage to the saw nor can the root ball be easily dismantled by other means. The crown end of the heavy tree is still supported by at least one other tree upon which it fell, so cutting through the trunk without pinching a saw will be tricky. This repair has yet to be attempted as the water level, which rose over the boardwalk after this image was taken, is only now receding below the fallen tree.
Damaged boardwalk - Image Richard Covey
Finally, the emotional damage occurred when the living-yet-hollow bald cypress, into which visitors could step, folded over upon itself. Search a visitor's photo library and they likely have an image of someone in their group peering out from "the hollow tree."
The Hollow Tree - Image Richard Covey
After the storm and most of the cleanup, the water continued to rise. In the image below, a sign on the boardwalk rail shows the water level from last October's historic rain. Just beyond that sign at the base of the hickory tree is a nail denoting the high-water level from 1979's Hurricane David. Hurricane Matthew's water level crept slightly higher than what can be seen in the background, but fell short of Hurricane David's mark.
High-water levels - Image Mark Musselman
The next two images show the boardwalk before the rising water came up over the deck boards.
Rising water - Image Mark Musselman
Rising water - Image Mark Musselman
The following images show the high water from last October's historic rain. Although slightly higher than the Hurricane Matthew water level, the images give an idea of how the boardwalk appeared.
Boardwalk directly behind nature center - Image Mark Musselman
Boardwalk at #1 - Image Mark Musselman
Boardwalk near #2 - Image Mark Musselman
Boardwalk at fork near #3 - Image Mark Musselman
Boardwalk near #4 - Image Mark Musselman
Boardwalk back to #14 - Image Mark Musselman
Boardwalk at #18 - Image Mark Musselman
Boardwalk at #19 hollow tree - Image Mark Musselman
Boardwalk at #11 Goodson Lake - Image Mark Musselman
Beyond some road erosion, the only other damage yet detected occurred in our young longleaf pine stands. Seedlings that may have been planted in wet areas or areas with poorly consolidated soils after logging operations were unable to stand up to the storm's winds as 12-15' trees.
The rain over the last weeks has produced water levels not seen along the boardwalk at the Audubon Center at Francis Beidler Forest since the spring of 1997. Although feet below the aftereffects of Hurricane David in 1979, when walking on the boardwalk would put one knee deep in water, this has been a significant water event for Four Holes Swamp. We have posted a video at the end of this blog.
Hurricane David High Water Mark - Mark Musselman
A nail about a foot above the base of the Mockernut Hickory tree marks the extent of the water dumped by Hurricane David. The current rain event has pushed water up to the base of the tree.
Marsh Rabbit - Mark Musselman
Although Marsh Rabbits (Sylvilagus palustris) are comfortable swimming, they apparently have their limits. This individual was high in the pine woods directly behind the Loblolly Pine sign.
Water in High Pine Woods - Mark Musselman
Water often pools in the pine woods, mainly in depressions created by tip-ups when Hurricane Hugo knocked down 80% of the canopy. However, during this rain event, the high ground was flooded and the water was running across the pine woods.
Water in High Pine Woods - Mark Musselman
White Ibis in High Pine Woods - Mark Musselman
A trio of White Ibis (Eudocimus albus) were foraging in the high pine woods because everywhere else in the swamp was too deep for wading. We were not sure what they might be finding as the newly submerged habitat is not known for crayfish or fish.
Yellow-crowned Night Heron in High Pine Woods - Mark Musselman
A Yellow-crowned Night Heron (Nyctanassa violacea) was wading in the water on the opposite side of the boardwalk from the White Ibis.
Yellow-crowned Night Heron in High Pine Woods - Mark Musselman
Approaching the fork in the boardwalk, the water could be seen up to the cross supports.
Swamp Edge - Mark Musselman
Although the boardwalk is relatively level, the 1977 construction was mainly accomplished by volunteers not professionally certified in carpentry, so the keyword is relatively. The low spots could be detected by the various depths of water across the deck.
Approaching Fork in Boardwalk - Mark Musselman
In some cases, the water had already receded.
Water Over Boardwalk - Mark Musselman
Fork on Boardwalk - Mark Musselman
The return portion of the boardwalk parallels the edge of the swamp and is often dry under the boardwalk. In the image below, the water can be seen close to the deck.
High Water at #20 - Mark Musselman
At the #3 rest area, the water is up to the deck supports though the reflection off the water gives the impression of space below the boardwalk.
High Water at #3 - Mark Musselman
If any Prothonotary Warblers had nests below the level of the nest boxes on the signs, the nests were submerged and a loss.
Sign at #3 - Mark Musselman
Looking out from the rest area at #3, not a single one of the thousands of cypress knees can be seen due to the high water.
No Knees Visible From #3 - Mark Musselman
The cypress tree felled at #4 by Hurricane Hugo was under water except for a small portion at the root end.
Water Over Fallen Cypress at #4 - Mark Musselman
Looking back at the Meeting Tree, the water can be seen approaching the boardwalk deck.
High Water at Meeting Tree - Mark Musselman
High Water at Meeting Tree - Mark Musselman
The high water limited the above-water options and made it treacherous for emerging aquatic insects. A Dark Fishing Spider (Dolomedes tenebrosus) made a meal of a dragonfly that had selected poorly and emerged on a boardwalk cross support.
Dark Fishing Spider - Mark Musselman
Dark Fishing Spider - Mark Musselman
The large knee at #5, which many state looks like a wave, is barely exposed above the water's surface.
"Wave" Knee at #5 - Mark Musselman
Though the knees in the channel at #5 are quite tall, not a one could be seen above the water.
No Knees Visible at #5 - Mark Musselman
Approach to #6 - Mark Musselman
Rest Area at #6 - Mark Musselman
No Knees Visible Beyond 7' Knee - Mark Musselman
High Water at #8 - Mark Musselman
The shadows make it difficult to see, but the water is just below the deck at the #9 rain shelter.
Rain Shelter at #9 - Mark Musselman
High Water at T on Boardwalk - Mark Musselman
High Water at T on Boardwalk - Mark Musselman
Animals of all sorts took advantage of any resting spots out of the water.
Yellow-bellied Slider with Eastern Mud Turtle - Mark Musselman
High Water at #10 - Mark Musselman
Bald Cypress at #10 - Mark Musselman
View of Second Platform From #10 - Mark Musselman
Tower at Goodson Lake - Mark Musselman
Tower at Goodson Lake - Mark Musselman
The average water level at Goodson Lake is 4.0'. The level at the time of the image on Tuesday was 7.53' down from the morning level of 7.6'. The heavy rain yesterday will likely counter some drop in the water level.
Goodson Lake Gauge - Mark Musselman
Looking back from the tower at Goodson Lake to an area that is almost always dry or extremely shallow, the water can be seen covering all the cypress knees, including one that had been used as a nesting site by Prothonotary Warblers earlier in the season.
Boardwalk to Second Platform - Mark Musselman
A Southern Toad (Bufo terrestris) could find no dry ground except for the boardwalk.
Southern Toad at #10 - Mark Musselman
Elsewhere, a small Eastern Cottonmouth (Agkistrodon piscivorus piscivorus) also sought high ground on the boardwalk.
Eastern Cottonmouth - Mark Musselman
The high water has basically eliminated all above-water basking sites except for the boardwalk we installed. Fear not! After taking the first image from a significant distance, the snake quickly retreated as we tried to get a more artistic ground level shot. Dry is nice, but humans are huge and scary and retreat is the best option. Remember, the majority of people have problems with snakes once they begin to mess with the snakes.
Eastern Cottonmouth - Mark Musselman
If you have not seen the swamp with high water, do not wait another 15-20 years for the next event!
