great kiskadee
© Kelley LuickyGreat kiskadee on Bear Island
Avid birders have been flocking to the Bear Island Wildlife Management Area in Colleton County for the past 10 days to see a bird that likely has never before visited the Palmetto State.

A great kiskadee - a large, "boisterous" flycatcher typically found in South and Central America, Mexico and the southern edge of Texas - was first spotted by nature photographer Kelley Luikey of Port Royal on the morning of Feb. 9.

"When I arrived at Bear Island that morning, the light and the birds were not cooperating in the areas I had planned on shooting, so I went looking for what else I could find," said Luikey, who was alone.

When she first saw the bird, her view was obscured by branches of a pecan tree, but she was able to keep tracking it because of its call, which is known to be loud and sounds like "kis-ka-dee."

"It was unmistakably something that we do not have here in South Carolina," said Luikey, recalling its bright colors.

"I became very intent on getting a photograph of it so I could identify what it was. Once I was able to get closer and got some clear shots in my camera, I identified it as to what I thought it was but knew that the location did not make sense at all for a great kiskadee."

Luikey messaged two serious birding friends, one of whom responded quickly confirming her identification.

"I didn't realize that it had never been sighted in South Carolina until I got home and was told by another birding friend that I was the first to report one in our state," said Luikey.

Since then, a steady stream of sightings have been listed on the Carolina Bird Club's website.

Dr. Ed Blitch, a local podiatrist, master naturalist and avid birder, was among those who posted a sighting. He knows of one birder in Beaufort who went to the island four times before spotting it.

"People are coming from all over the state to see it. There's a lot of interest out there," said Blitch.

David McLean, who regularly surveys birds on Bulls Island for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, was with a group from the Charleston Natural History Society on a regularly scheduled birding trip Feb. 12. He said several members of the group saw it.

While most flycatchers are easy to see, the kiskadee tends to be "shy," despite its distinctive, relatively loud call, he said.

"You might spend six hours out there to see it for 15 seconds," McLean said.

Meanwhile, speculation abounds as to how the kiskadee ended up on the South Carolina coast - whether it arrived naturally, came aboard a ship, or was a released or escaped captive - and how the state's record keepers will count it.

Blitch added, "You can't ever really know."

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