Waccamaw River Bottomlands
Location: Brunswick and Columbus Counties
Total Size: 123,745 acres
Map
Site Description: The Waccamaw River Bottomlands IBA begins in the
Red Hull Swamp area, north of Lake Waccamaw and Whiteville, and continues south
including the bottomlands associated with Lake Waccamaw and the Waccamaw River
to the South Carolina line. This is an extensive area of bottomland
hardwood forest and cypress-gum swamp forest. As with most North Carolina
forests, much of the Waccamaw River bottomland forests were logged in the early
half of the 20th Century. Nevertheless, this site is one of the largest
areas of bottomland forest in North Carolina and is critical to North Carolina
birds.
Habitats: Bottomland hardwood forest, cypress-tupelo-gum swamp forest, blackwater river, lake
Land Use: wildlife conservation, other conservation, hunting, fishing, recreation
Primary Threats: Introduced species, logging
Protection Status: This sites includes the Lake Waccamaw State
Park, which encompasses 10,446 acres. The majority of the IBA is in private holdings.
Conservation Issues: The forest habitat along the Waccamaw River is critical
to birds, thus maintaining the integrity of the forest is essential.
Birds: Very little quantitative data exists for birds in the Waccamaw River
bottomlands, but it is widely agreed upon that the site provides excellent
habitat for breeding and migrating songbirds and migratory
waterfowl. White ibises from Battery Island travel to the Waccamaw River
swamps to forage during the nesting season. The bottomland hardwood forest and cypress-tupelo-gum swamp
forest are extensive and excellent examples of these habitat types (Criteria 3).
Key Bird Species
|
Criteria |
Season |
Number |
||
| 4a | Wood Duck | all | -- | |
| 4a | Prothonotary Warbler | B | -- | |
| 4a | Northern Parula | B | -- | |
| 4a | Yellow-throated Warbler | B | -- | |
| 4a | Blue-gray Gnatcatcher | B | -- | |
| 4a | Hooded Warbler | B | -- | |
| 4a | Barred Owl | all | -- | |
| 4a | Pileated Woodpecker | all | -- | |
| 4a | White Ibis (foraging) | spring-summer | 500-1,500+ | |
B=Breeding FM=Fall Migration
SM=Spring Migration W=Winter
Sources:
Walker Golder, personal observations
NC Natural Heritage Program