It’s not bunnies, but birds we are hunting this month.
As spring is in the air, Seabrook Island Birders are excited
about migration and new life from our resident birds.
Join us for some fresh air and learning about our feathered friends.
Learning Together at North Beach
When: Saturday, April 1, 2023, 10:00 am – 12:00 am
Location: Meet at Boardwalk # 1 parking lot
Max: None
Cost: Free for members; $10 donation for guests
Join SIB to bird at Seabrook Island’s North Beach. This three-mile round trip walk travels from Boardwalk #1 to the tip of North Beach along Captain Sams Inlet as high tide approaches. Birders from beginners to advanced will enjoy the variety of birds found on North Beach. At this time, many different species of shorebirds rest and feed near the point or along the beach ridge near the beach’s pond. Along the way, we will explore the many different species that can be found in this unique area.
As always, be sure to bring your binoculars/cameras, hats and sunscreen. Bring a spotting scope if you have one. However, there should be spotting scopes available for viewing if you don’t have one. Bring plenty to drink and a snack if desired. There are no facilities.
Please register no later than March 30. All registrants will receive a confirmation letter on March 31, the day prior to the trip.
Register here
Learning Together-Palmetto Lake
When: Thursday, April 6, 6:00 pm– 7:30 pm
Location: Meet at Equestrian end of The Lake House parking lot
Max: 15
Cost: Free for members; $10 donation for guests
Join the Seabrook Island Birders for a leisurely walk around Palmetto Lake. The path around Palmetto Lake is wheelchair navigable and for those walking it will be less than a half a mile. As we walk along the path going towards the Equestrian Center, we hope to see Cat Birds and Brown Thrashers hiding in the thicket. In this area we always see the Mockingbirds, Northern Cardinals, Carolina and House Wrens, Bluebirds and perhaps the last of the season Yellow Rumps and Palm Warblers. Looking into Palmetto Lake we are likely to see Anhingas, Double-crested Cormorants, terns, gulls, Night Herons and possibly Green Herons that might be beginning to nest in the shrubs around the lake. At the back side of the path we hope to see and hear vireos, early arriving spring warblers like the Northern Parula, and year round resident warblers like the Black and White Warbler and Yellow-throated Warbler. If the “white birds” get the invitation, we can expect to see Snowy Egrets, Great Egrets and White Ibis roosting for the evening. There’s also the possibility of a Roseate or raptor flyover.
Dress in layers and bring your binoculars, hats, and a beverage of choice. You may also wish to bring a chair to sit and enjoy your beverage while watching the birds coming in for their evening roost. Sunset is 7:44 pm so timing will hopefully be good before the coming time change.
Please register no later than Tuesday, April 4 All registrants will receive a confirmation letter on Wednesday, the day prior to the activity.
Register here
April Movie
“Bringing Nature Home: The Importance of Native Plants”
When: Tuesday, April 11, 2023 at 4:00 pm
Location: Oyster Catcher Community Center and Zoom
“Bringing Nature Home: The Importance of Native Plants”is one of a 6-session webinar series focused on the ecological roles of native plants and some of the creatures that depend on them. On this webinar, Doug Tallamy, author and professor, The University of Delaware will focus on the benefits of native plants to create a welcoming environment for the fauna it supports. This series was sponsored by The Ohio State University Department of Entomology and The Chadwick Arboretum and Learning Gardens, and is funded in part by a USDA/NIFA Integrated Pest Management Pollinator Health grant.
Register here
Beyond our Backyard: Congaree National Park
When: Friday, April 14, 2023, 6:30 am – 4:00 pm
Location: Meet at SI Real Estate parking lot at 6:30 am to carpool or meet at Harry Hampton Visitor Center, Congaree Park 9:00 am.
Max: 12
Cost: Free for members; $10 donation for guests (There are no park entrance fees)
Congaree National Park is spread across 26,276 acres of central South Carolina land, located 18 miles southeast of Columbia. The park forms the largest expanse of intact old-growth bottomland hardwood forest in the United States and has incredible biodiversity. The park’s river-floodplain ecosystem is lined by lakes, creeks, and swamps, providing wildlife with adequate food and shelter. Congaree National Park is a recognized Important Bird Area (IBA). 76 species were identified there in April 2022. eBird shows “high frequency” if mid-April of Prothonotary Warblers, Hooded Warblers, Black-throated Blue Warblers and the arrival of Summer Tanagers. A personal visit in April 2021 also included a Yellow-billed Cuckoo and a Worm-eating Warbler in our list.
Expect to walk 3 to 4 miles over flat terrain with some being on boardwalks over the swamps. Bring plenty to drink, sunscreen and bug spray. Our 2021 visit found limited lunch options so a packed lunch is recommended.
Please register no later than Wednesday, April 12, 2023. All registrants will receive a confirmation letter the day prior to the event.
Register here
Learning Together on Golf Course Ocean Winds
When: Monday, April 17, 2023, 8:30 am – 10:30 am
Location: Meet at Island House (Golf Course parking lot next to Spinnaker beach houses) for ride along the golf course in golf carts
Max: 24 (If all seats in golf carts are used)
Cost: Free for members; $10 donation for guests – Priority will be given to prior waitlisted & members
The Seabrook Island Club closes one course a day, each week and allows Seabrook Island Birders to use golf carts to travel the course with our members to bird. Join us for a morning of birding by riding in golf carts for at least 9-holes on Ocean Winds golf course. We expect to see a large variety of birds including Egrets, Herons and birds of prey. We will also see and hear some of the smaller birds like Tufted Titmice, Eastern Bluebirds, Northern Cardinals, Carolina Wrens and some of the many warbler species. Since it is spring we can also expect to see Eastern Kingbirds, Great-crested Flycatchers, Orchard Orioles, Summer Tanagers, Mississippi Kites and more!
As always, be sure to bring your binoculars/cameras, hats and sunscreen. Water will be provided.
Please register no later than Friday prior to the trip. All registrants will receive a confirmation letter on Sunday, the day prior to the trip. If you need to cancel, please let us know so we can invite people on the waitlist to attend.
Register here
Learning Together on North Beach
When: Saturday, April 22, 8:00 am–10:00 am
Location: Meet at Boardwalk # 1 parking lot
Max: None
Cost: Free for members, $10 per guest
Join SIB to bird at Seabrook Island’s North Beach. This three-mile round trip walk travels from boardwalk #1 to the tip of North Beach along Captain Sams Inlet as high tide approaches. Birders from beginners to advanced will enjoy the variety of birds found on North Beach. At this time, many different species of shorebirds rest and feed near the point or along the beach ridge near the beach’s pond. Along the way, we will explore the many different species that can be found in this unique area.
As always, be sure to bring your binoculars, hats, water and sunscreen.
Bring plenty to drink and a snack if desired. There are no facilities.
Please register no later than Thursday, April 20, 2023. All registrants will receive a confirmation letter on the day prior to the event.
Register here
Backyard Birding at Haulover Rookery
When: Monday, April 24, 2023, 5:00 pm – 6:30 pm
Location: 2445 The Haul Over
Max: 20
Cost: Free for members, $10 per guest
We are going back! Our visit last May to Annalee Regenburg’s backyard was a witness of a bumper crop of Egret and Heron nests. We lost count at 100 nests. Annalee’s house backs up to the Great White Egret Rookery. The females sit in their nests all day and the males come into the nests in the evenings. We plan on observing this wonderful, sometimes noisy event. We will most likely see some snowy egrets and green herons, plus some Night Herons and Wood Storks too. They are all tucked in there . One year, we even saw Cattle Egrets.
Walk around back when you arrive.
As always, be sure to bring your water, binoculars, hats and sunscreen.
Please register no later than Tuesday, April 21. All registrants will receive a confirmation letter on Sunday, April 23.
Register here
Beyond our Backyard at Edisto Nature Trail
When: Tuesday, April 25, 7:00 am– 12:00 pm. (Walk starts at Edisto Nature Trail at 8:00 am). An optional (weather permitting) drive down Hyde Park Road is planned for the return drive.
Location: Meet at SI Real Estate Office to carpool to Edisto Nature Trail (Google maps says 50 minute drive). Edisto Nature Trail: 17038 Ace Basin Pkwy Jacksonboro, South Carolina
Max: 15
Cost: Free for members, $10 donation for guests
Come join us for spring migration, Beyond Our Backyard, at the Edisto Nature Trail. This park, within the ACE Basin on Highway 17, is both a migrant hot spot and a known nesting area for a number of sought after bird species. The park, adjacent to the Edisto River, has a variety of habitats along its one point five (1.5) mile loop trail.
Some of the bird species we hope to see, and have encountered in prior years, include such Warbler Species as Prothonotary, Worm-Eating, Black and White, Swainson’s, Kentucky, and Hooded. Other possible bird species include Veery, Scarlet Tanager, Blackburnian Warbler, Rose-Breasted Grosbeak, Blackpoll Warbler, Prairie Warbler, Blue-Winged Warbler, Warbling Vireos, and a variety of raptors.
This nature trail has a number of boardwalk crossovers to assist in traversing potentially wet areas. Appropriate footwear is recommended, even during dry spells.
Participants should also consider these other items to maximize their comfort and enjoyment: binoculars, bug spray, sunscreen, hats, layered clothing to adjust to the morning’s weather, field guides if print is your preference, eyeglass – lens cleaner, water, snacks, camera, and a pack or shoulder bag for your needs.
Weather permitting, for those looking to extend their day, we will drive Hyde Park Rd on our return home. Hyde is a productive corridor for spring migrants that parallels Savannah Highway.
Please register no later than Sunday, April 23. All registrants will receive a confirmation letter on the day before the trip.
Register here
Beyond our Backyard at Francis Beidler Forest Audubon Center & Sanctuary
When: Friday, April 28, 7:30 am– 2:00 pm. (Tour starts at Beidler at 9:30 am)
Location: Meet at SI Real Estate Office to carpool to Francis Beidler Forest Audubon Center & Sanctuary. (Google maps says 1.5 hour drive)
Min: 12 Max: 15
Cost: $15 for members, $10 donation for guests
If you have never been to Francis Beidler Forest Audubon Center & Sanctuary, you won’t want to miss this opportunity – it’s well worth the 70-mile one-way trip! On our last visit, we observed 32 species of birds including Yellow-billed Cuckoo, Swallow-tailed Kite, Barred Owl, and of course, Prothonotary Warbler!
As the walk ends between 12:00 pm and 12:30 pm, participants may want to bring a lunch, snacks and beverages to “picnic” at the Center prior to their return to Seabrook Island as there are a limited number of restaurants in the area.
Also be sure to bring sunblock, bug spray, a hat, binoculars, camera and a scope if you have one.
Please register no later than Wednesday, April 26. All registrants will receive a confirmation letter on Thursday, April 27.
Register here
-Submitted by SIB
(Image credit: SIB)