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Swim, scuba dive, and more at South Carolina’s prettiest lake

Go on an adventure.

While I was visiting Greenville, South Carolina, I took an unofficial poll. The results were unanimous: my sources told me Lake Jocassee is the state’s prettiest lake. The 7,565-acre lake is 42 miles northwest of Greenville in Devil’s Fork State Park. People visit the park to swim, fish, kayak, hike, camp, and even scuba dive.

Learn all about Lake Jocassee and Devil’s Fork State Park in the guide below. And if you’re a runner who plans to be in Greenville next May, see how you can get involved in the local Mountains to Main Street Half Marathon here. It’s a race you won’t want to miss.

People paddling on Lake Jocassee in Devil's Fork State Park in South Carolina. — *Photo by Teresa Bergen*

Recreating in Devil’s Fork State Park

If you visit in springtime, you can hike the easy 1.5-mile Oconee Bell Nature Trail and look for a rare Appalachian flower. Found only in a few places in the mountains of South Carolina, North Carolina, and Georgia, Oconee bells are little white and yellow blossoms with red stems.

During my visit to Devil’s Fork State Park, I focused on paddling. I rented a kayak from Jocassee Lake Tours, which also offers guided boat and kayak tours with a naturalist. Two guys from the company met me at one of the park’s three boat ramps and helped me launch. There was little boat traffic on the lake, which surprised me on a Sunday in late May. At times, I saw only lush greenery, water, and the occasional turtle — no other people in sight. You can also rent canoes, kayaks, pontoon boats, and standup paddleboards from Eclectic Sun.

The tip of a blue kayak in water at Lake Jocassee in South Carolina. — *Photo by Teresa Bergen*

If you want to stay over in the park, rent one of the 20 lakeside villas, some of which are pet-friendly. There are also campsites for RV or tent camping and even one boat-in campground. Boaters can also see a few hidden waterfalls only accessible from the water.

You can swim in Lake Jocassee, too. There are no lifeguards, so be careful and watch your kids.

Birders will also appreciate Devil’s Fork State Park. Visitors can note their sightings on the park’s birding checklist.

A sign pointing to various amenities at Lake Jocassee in South Carolina. — *Photo by Teresa Bergen*

What’s underwater at Lake Jocassee?

Lake Jocassee is known for its clean, clear water. But what really attracts scuba divers is what’s under the water: a flooded town and cemetery. In 1973, the state partnered with Duke Power to build Jocassee Dam and create the lake. Underwater relics include a lodge, girls’ camp, sunken Chinese boat, and the Mt. Carmel Cemetery. This is the cemetery featured in the 1972 movie “Deliverance” — made one year before the area was turned into a reservoir. Bodies were exhumed before the dam was built, but divers can see headstones 130 feet below the surface. Some divers have even reported spotting artificial flowers.

A turtle on a log at Lake Jocassee in South Carolina. — *Photo by Teresa Bergen*

Lake Jocassee and Devil’s Fork State Park are year-round destinations. Only the hardiest will want to swim in the winter when water temperatures drop to the 50s. But it’s a beautiful place for hiking, birdwatching, and paddling any month of the year.

Disclaimer: While this article was not sponsored, Visit Greenville SC hosted the writer during her visit to South Carolina. As always, Outdoors Wire operates independently, and this doesn’t influence our coverage.

You can see all 8 swan species at South Carolina’s Swan Lake Iris Gardens

Spot swans in South Carolina.

Birdwatchers, get ready to add a new destination to your bucket list. In Sumter, South Carolina, the incredible Swan Lake Iris Gardens invites guests to explore 150 acres of vibrant flowers. The gardens are described as a “birdwatcher’s paradise,” with swans, geese, ducks, herons, and more making homes there. Speaking of swans, Swan Lake Iris Gardens is the only public park in the United States where people can see all eight swan species. Oh, and did we mention that admission and parking are both free?

Prepare for your visit to the park with this guide to the best birdwatching gear. Plus, learn about the eight swan species you’ll meet with the photos below.

Increase your bird smarts while relaxing at these stunning hotels

Leave the nest and explore.

Are you one of those people that listen for bird song when you travel? Do you see a little critter fly by and try to identify it? Then you’re the ideal guest for a new collaboration between the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and the Enthusiast Hotel Collection.

Enthusiast has seven properties spanning from the U.S. West Coast to the Caribbean. They include gorgeous places like A Stone’s Throw Away in the Bahamas, with a wraparound porch perfect for watching birds and other wildlife in the surrounding jungle. Or you could scan the sky for seabirds at the Brewery Gulch Inn on California’s Mendocino coast. Enthusiast’s on-site bird ambassador program helps answer all your avian questions. The hotel group also sets up tours in and around its properties led by local birdwatching guides. The Cornell Lab of Ornithology supplies each hotel with relevant bird info. Guests can borrow binoculars at no additional cost.

A bird on a tree. — A red-headed woodpecker at Casa Morada in the Florida Keys. / *Photo courtesy of the Enthusiast Hotel Collection*

“We are excited to announce our partnership with Enthusiast Hotel Collection,” Mary Guthrie, director of corporate partnerships at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, said in a statement. “Whether guests are lifelong birders or just getting started, our resources are designed to inspire and spark a deep connection with nature.” The lab, founded in 1915, is a nonprofit organization internationally known for its bird studies and conservation efforts.

Birds flying over a brick building with a black patio. — Swifts swirling around the chimney of the Historic Tapoco Lodge in North Carolina. / *Photo courtesy of Enthusiast Hotel Collection*

Motivated guests can start their bird studies before leaving for their trip. Cornell Lab’s Bird Academy offers a Joy of Birdwatching course and access to lectures by ornithologists. You can contribute to the lab’s work of helping scientists track bird populations by submitting your sightings online through the Lab’s eBird platform or the eBird app.

A red, black, and white bird on a tree branch. — An acorn woodpecker in Mendocino, California. / *Photo courtesy of Enthusiast Hotel Collection*

Whether you’re a bird lover or just want to blast the competition on trivia night, staying at an Enthusiast property can expand your knowledge of migration patterns and nesting rituals. “Now birds and birders will tell our story,” said Enthusiast Hotel Collection founder Oneil Khosa in a statement. “We’re thrilled to help enhance the enjoyment of birds for guests at all our hotels and give them the tools and resources to build memories that last forever. We are very proud of our partnership with the Cornell Lab.”

Here are the essentials you need to take up birdwatching this spring

Join the birding world.

Devoted birdwatchers will tell you there’s never a bad time to go birding. But if you’re new to the hobby, you can’t beat springtime. Some species are starting to migrate, and nesting season is underway. Plus, the days are getting longer and warmer, so going out early is less of a chore than in, say, January.

Of course, it all depends on where you live. You might be fortunate enough to be in a spring migration pathway, where you can watch a mass movement of passing birds. Check with local birders. Also, keep an eye out for birding festivals, which are timed for maximal viewing. At the end of April, Corpus Christi, Texas’s Birdiest Festival in America takes advantage of spring migration along the Gulf Coast. The Indiana Dunes Birding Festival in May showcases migratory birds flying through the Midwest. Wherever you live, here’s the best birdwatching gear for your adventures.

6 species you can find while birdwatching on the Pacific Crest Trail

Spot owls, hummingbirds, and more.

On a stretch of land as vast as the Pacific Crest Trail, birders can expect to find a diverse variety of bird species. The 2,650 miles of trail travel through California, Oregon, and Washington. Numerous stops along the way are considered birding hotspots, which birders can learn more about with this handy resource sheet.

At these locations, birdwatchers may encounter bright yellow Bullock’s orioles or intense red crossbills. If you’re curious about which incredible species you can expect to find as you traverse the trail, build your birding bucket list with help from the gallery below. Here are six bird species to spot on the Pacific Crest Trail.

It’s bald eagle nesting season, and those nests can be massive

Bald eagles around the country are preparing to raise new broods and those who admire them, via live-cams or in person, might wonder just how large are those nests?

–Editor’s note: A version of this post was published last April

Bald eagles around the country are preparing to raise new broods and those who admire them, via live-cams or in person, might wonder just how large are those nests?

One answer is provided in a photograph that circulates each year via social media, showing a ranger sitting in a replica nest measuring five feet wide and three feet deep – the approximate dimensions of a four-person hot tub.

The photo was originally shared last in 2021 year by Forest Park Nature Center in Illinois. The Facebook post states that the replica nest is housed at Hueston Woods State Park in Ohio.

But bald eagle nests are often much larger. The Forest Park Nature Center explained that the largest recorded nest “measured 9.5 feet in diameter, 20 feet deep, and weighed almost 6,000 pounds!”

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That nest, according to the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, was constructed by eagles in St. Petersburg, Fla. The lab’s “All About Birds” website states: “Another famous nest — in Vermilion, Ohio — was shaped like a wine glass and weighed almost two metric tons. It was used for 34 years until the tree blew down.”

Bald eagle guards nest from treetop. Photo: ©Pete Thomas

Nests are typically built in the tallest conifers. While both parents build a nest, the female performs most of the branch and twig placement.

Earlier this month, in Cuyamaca Rancho State Park in east San Diego County, I captured the accompanying image showing a bald eagle atop a towering tree, guarding the nest with eggs about 20 feet below.

The other eagle was in a nearby tree, also standing guard, while pesky ravens communicated among themselves, raucously, in another tree.

Bald eagle on nest duty. Photo: ©Pete Thomas

Eaglets, after they fledge, generally spend about four years in “nomadic exploration of vast territories” and can fly hundreds of miles per day.

Immature bald eagles born in California, for example, have traveled as far north as Alaska.

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Watch: Red-footed booby grabs spotlight on whale-watching trip

Whale watchers in California’s Monterey Bay on Tuesday happily made way for a red-footed booby as the seabird landed on the rail as if to become just another passenger.

**UPDATE: The red-footed booby was on the same vessel, High Spirits, again Wednesday. Click here to view some wonderful images and learn the booby’s nickname.

Whale watchers in California’s Monterey Bay on Tuesday happily made way for a red-footed booby as the rare seabird landed on the rail as if to become just another passenger.

“A juvenile red-footed booby landed on the boat today. So we took it whale watching,” Katlyn Taylor, a naturalist for Blue Ocean Whale Watch, wrote in her Facebook video description.

In Taylor’s video, posted below, and in Capt. Kate Cummings’ Instagram video, the seabird casually preens as if not bothered by the presence of people, as humpback whales lunge-feed beyond the bow.

The passengers, giving the booby space, are perhaps more in awe of the exotic visitor than they are of the whales, which are common in Monterey Bay.

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Red-footed boobies nest on tropical islands and atolls, so Monterey is far beyond their typical range.

Cummings told FTW Outdoors that she had encountered only one other red-footed booby in Monterey Bay, in 2018, before Tuesday’s encounter.

“It hitched a ride into Moss Landing Harbor on a fishing boat and died a few days later,” Cummings recalled. “But the booby we had [Tuesday] seemed healthy and active, as it was seen plunge-diving for anchovies, successfully, and was preening on our boat.”

Red-footed boobies, named because of the striking coloration of their feet, prey on fish and squid and hunt by flying slowly above the surface.

According to the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, the seabirds are known to rest on ships as they hunt in open water.

The Lab’s website states: “Individuals may ride on a ship, or fly alongside it, and when flying fish take to the air in front of the vessel, the booby flies swiftly toward it, catching it in the bill. Red-footed boobies also congregate around actively feeding fish such as tuna, which drive small fish toward the surface.”

On Tuesday, the booby appeared to have benefited from whales dispersing massive schools of anchovies.

Made-up birds, scientific fraud, and the bird-watching world’s strangest mystery

Have you heard about Audubon’s mystery birds?

Every subculture has its quirks; the bird-watching world is no exception. Bird-watching, also known as birding, has a long history, and that history is stranger than you might expect. One bizarre bird history moment in particular still baffles birders to this day. This is the story of renowned ornithologist John James Audubon and his mystery birds.

Audubon’s odd legacy begins with his famous book “The Birds of America.” The book catalogs and illustrates a diverse collection of bird species, and many consider it an artistic and scientific masterpiece. However, since being published in the 1800s, the book has received significant criticism. Specifically, people have accused Audubon of fabricating information on certain bird species. These disputed species are known as Audubon’s “mystery birds.”

In the article “John James Audubon: Crazy, Wrong, or Neither?,” Audubon Magazine contributor Nicholas Lund explores possible explanations for these unidentifiable birds. Rather than being completely fabricated, some of the specimens may have simply been the juvenile or female forms of existing species. For example, the bird Audubon labeled “Selby’s Flycatcher,” was actually just a female Hooded Warbler. This isn’t the case for all of the mystery birds, though.

As Lund explains, “Audubon painted a handful of birds that aren’t an exact match for anything we’ve currently got. These are Audubon’s mystery birds. Maybe they’re just mistaken plumages, like the eagle or the flycatcher, and we still can’t sort it out. Maybe they were birds that Audubon just painted poorly, or from a vague memory, or from a partially decomposed corpse.”

Some of the mystery birds people are still struggling to identify include the Carbonated Warbler, Cuvier’s Kinglet, and Townsend’s Bunting. While some of the birds have likely matches, others are more perplexing. For some birders, unraveling the truth behind these mystery birds is part of the fun of bird-watching. In Lund’s words, “it’s one of the true joys of birding: You never quite know what you’re going to find out there.”

Nesting bald eagle swoops down for a bath in stunning footage

A photographer has captured extraordinary footage showing a female bald eagle swooping from its nest to a river to enjoy a bath while the male eagle watches over young ones.

Mike Lemery’s footage, posted below, was captured recently on the Mohawk River in Cohoes, outside Albany, N.Y. It shows momma eagle leaving to “clean up” and immersing herself repeatedly while remaining on high alert and, at one point, calling to her mate.

Lemery, of Mike Lemery Films, told FTW Outdoors that the eagles are caring for three chicks, instead of the typical one or two, “so they have been working extra hard with the extra mouth to feed.”

The photographer added that minutes before momma left for her bath, papa eagle arrived at the nest with food.

“They take turns watching over the nest, but the female does the majority of the feeding and protection of the nest,” Lemery said. “They tend to bathe after everyone has eaten.”

After her bath, momma eagle is shown drying off on a branch near the nest.

With bald eagle nesting season underway, and nest-cams providing closeup views of feeding and nurturing, Lemery’s footage provides a wonderful glimpse of eagle behavior beyond the nest.

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How large are bald eagle nests? Much larger than you might think

Bald eagles around the country are raising families this spring and people watching them, in person or via live-cams, might be wondering just how large are those nests?

An answer is provided in a photograph making the rounds via social media, showing a ranger sitting in a replica nest measuring five feet wide and three feet deep.

Bald eagle chicks. Photo: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

The photo was originally shared last year by Forest Park Nature Center in Illinois. The Facebook post states that the replica nest is housed at Hueston Woods State Park in Ohio.

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The Forest Park Nature Center explained that bald eagles can build much larger nests, and that the largest recorded nest “measured 9.5 feet in diameter, 20 feet deep, and weighed almost 6,000 pounds!”

Nests are typically built in the tallest conifers near their sturdy trunks. While both parents construct a nest, the female is said to perform most of the placement of branches, twigs, and soft materials.

Eaglets, after they fledge, generally spend about four years in “nomadic exploration of vast territories” and can fly hundreds of miles per day. Immature bald eagles born in California, for example, have traveled as far north as Alaska.