Fall will usher in lower humidity and temps as well as a rush of birding activities. Save the first week in October for several early month events.
Sit, Sip and See at Palmetto Lake
When: Thursday, September 5, 8:00 am
Location: Village of Seabrook community area at the back of Palmetto Lake Max: 20
Cost: Free for members; $10 donation to SIB for guests
Please join Seabrook Island Birders (SIB) for a morning of birding and socializing with your favorite beverage at Palmetto Lake. During the hot summer months birds are more active in the early morning and early evening. We thought that this would be a great location to gather and sit and let the birds come to us. We can relax and watch the herons and egrets leave their favorite roosting area. Vicki Duncan will host us to get access to this normally locked area. There are a few places to sit at the picnic table, but you will probably want to bring a chair in order to get the best view. Birds that we should see are Green Heron, Little Blue Heron, Great Egret, Tricolored Heron, Cattle Egret, and White Ibis. We could additionally hear or see woodpeckers, hawks, and passerines. American Redstarts have begun to arrive for the fall so some warbler sightings may also be possible.
This is a BYOB and BYOSnacks event. (A small thermos of tea/coffee while enjoying some birds….a great way to start a morning). A morning Sit, Sip and See is a new experiment. If you are not an experienced birder, this is the perfect opportunity to get some tips on using binoculars and phone apps, and identifying species and bird calls.
As always, bring your binoculars and hats. No sunscreen required at this event, but you might want to bring bug repellent just in case.
Register no later than Tuesday, September 3. All registrants will receive a confirmation letter on Wednesday, September 4.
Register here.
Beyond Our Backyard at Kiawah River
When: Sunday, September 8, 8:00 – 11:00 am
Location: Meet at the “bridge” entering the property
Max: 12 people
Cost: Free for members; $10 donation for guests
Join us for another chance to check out birds that can be found on this varied habitat property. We expect to see a large variety of birds including Double-crested Cormorants, Egrets, Herons, Osprey and other birds of prey. If we are lucky, we will see an eagle and osprey duel over a fish. As we enter the property, we hope to catch a glimpse of the resident American Coots and Loggerhead Shrikes. We should also see and hear some of the smaller birds like Tufted Titmice, Eastern Bluebirds, Northern Cardinals. We will drive to various locations on the property and then walk for better birding observations. Of course, this also gives us a chance to see this neighboring development. High tide is at 12:10 pm so our chances for shorebirds along the Kiawah River are limited….but we can hope.
As always, be sure to bring your binoculars, hats, water and sunscreen.
Please register no later than Friday, September 6. All registrants will receive a confirmation letter on the day prior to the event.
Register here.
Backyard Birding at Haulover
When: Tuesday, September 10, 5:00 – 7:00 pm
Location: 2415 the Haulover
Max: 12
Cost: Free for members; $10 donation for guests
Join SIB member Emmy Marquardt at her address 2415 the Haulover on Tuesday , September 10. You will have views of many trees, where all our songbirds like to hide. At the end of her yard is a lagoon with egret rookery. Please come around back when you arrive.
Bring binoculars and bug spray.
Please register no later than September 9. All registrants will receive a confirmation letter on September 9.
Register here.
Learning Together on Crooked Oaks Golf Course
When: Monday, September 16, 8:30 – 10:30 am
Location: Meet at the 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 and members
The Seabrook Island Club closes one course a day, each week and allows SIB to use golf carts to travel the course to bird. Join us for a morning of birding by riding in golf carts for at least nine holes on Crooked Oaks golf course. We expect to see a large variety of birds 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’s fall, we can also expect to see Eastern Phoebes, Northern Flickers, Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers, Belted Kingfishers, Double-crested Cormorants, Bald Eagles, 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: How to Take Better Bird Photos
When: Wednesday, September 18, 9:00 – 11:00 am
Location: Meet at Oystercatcher Community Center
Max: 12
Cost: Free for members; $10 donation for guests – Priority will be given to prior waitlisted & members
Have you ever wanted to take better bird photos but didn’t know where to start? Join Gina Sanders for a short discussion on ways to improve your bird photography, followed by a birding walk where we’ll put these new ideas to work. Whether you’re taking photos to document a species, for your social media, or just for fun, these tips will give you simple ways to make the most of your photo opportunities.
You don’t need a big, fancy camera – any camera will work, even a cell phone. These tips apply to all skill levels as well, you don’t need to be an advanced photographer.
Be sure to bring your camera, binoculars, hat, sunscreen, bug spray and water.
Please register no later than the Sunday prior to the event. All registrants will receive a confirmation letter on Tuesday, the day prior to the event. If you need to cancel, please let us know so we can invite people on the waitlist to attend.
Register here.
Beyond Our Backyard – CawCaw Interpretive Center
When: Friday, September 20, 9:00 am – 12:00 pm
Where: Caw Caw Interpretive Center, 5200 Savannah Hwy., Ravenel
Carpool: Meet at Seabrook Island real estate office at 8:15 am. The drive is approximately 40 minutes.
Cost: Free to members, $10.00 for non- members (Park entrance fee is $2 per adult, or a gold pass)
Join SIB at Caw Caw County Park as we search for fall migrating and early returning winter birds. The park is comprised of three colonial era rice fields, fresh, brackish, saltwater marshes, cypress-tupelo swamps, bottomland, and beech-holly forests. All told, these varied habitats comprise a total of 654 acres with six miles of trails. Over 250 bird species have been observed within the boundaries of Caw Caw.
Some of the bird species we may see during this time of the year include wading birds, Wood ducks, Northern Waterthrush, American Red Start, Yellow Warbler, Black and white Warbler, Yellow Throated Warbler, Yellow-throated Vireos, Northern Paula, White-Eyed Vireo, Eastern Wood-Pewee and hopefully some birds of prey, including Barred Owl.
Appropriate footwear is recommended, as we will be walking approximately two miles, and even during dry spells wet trail conditions may be encountered. 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.
Join us for lunch following our morning at Angel Oak restaurant on Savannah Highway for some tasty southern inspired food.
Please register no later than Wednesday, September 18. All registrants will receive a confirmation letter the day prior to the event.
Register here.
Learning Together at Palmetto Lake
When: Sunday, September 22, 7:30 – 9:30 am
Location: Meet at pool end of The Lake House parking lot
Max: 15
Cost: Free for 2024 members, $10 for guests
Celebrate fall migration by walking and bird watching around Palmetto Lake located behind the Island Lake House! Join SIB in search of some warblers who are short term visitors on the island during the fall migration season. The path around Palmetto Lake is wheelchair navigable and for those who will be walking, it is flat and will be at a leisurely pace. We hope to see some of our resident warblers such as Yellow-throated Warbler, Pine Warbler, and the Black and White Warbler. In addition, it is highly likely that we will see a few American Redstarts, Yellow Warblers, and possibly Black-throated Blue Warbler, and the Common Yellow Throat. Naturally, there should be Bluebirds, Northern Cardinals, Carolina Wrens, Carolina Chickadees, Tufted Titmouse, different woodpeckers, and raptors in the area.
Bring your binoculars, hats, bug spray and a beverage of choice.
Please register no later than Friday, September 20. All registrants will receive a confirmation letter on Saturday, the day prior to the trip.
Register here.
Beyond our Backyard – Biking & Birding the Greenway
When: Monday, September 30, 10:00 am – 12:00 pm
Location: Meet at parking area for West Ashley Greenway (McLeod Mill Rd. near Main Rd./SR S 10-20)
Max: 12
Cost: Free for 2024 members, $10 for guests
Grab your bike and join us as we bike the West Ashley Greenway! This trail stretches about eight miles from Johns Island to the South Windermere Shopping Center on Folly Road (parking available at either end). The trail is open from dawn to dusk. It is 100 feet wide and mostly hard-parked dirt and some asphalt. Plus, the trail is flat so it’s great for beginning bikers and kids. For the most part, the trail runs parallel to U.S. Highway 17 past neighborhoods, parks and marshes so there’s plenty to see. The City of Charleston Department of Parks has confirmed motorized handicap scooters may utilize the Greenway for this activity so some members may want to “bike” the Greenway in their scooters.
On Johns Island, the dirt gives way to rough gravel and narrow bridge crossings (beach/mountain bikes are better than road bikes on this section). Here, the broad wetlands flank the trail presenting magnificent views and rewarding bird sightings. If the timing is right, we may catch sight of the tidal flow that carved these lacework channels.
The map of this Rails-to-Trails site can be found here. Given the shorter time for this year’s activity, we likely will only get part-way down the trail. We make several stops on the trip out but the return trip is faster.
We hope to see shorebirds like egrets, herons and Roseate Spoonbills in the tidal marsh areas. We should see/hear some of our migratory friends as well as late departing summer birds and early arriving winter residents. Also, birds of prey are common to see flying overhead. Previous fall excursions to this location have had a high of 58 species and a low of 24.
Be sure to bring binoculars, camera, hats, sunscreen, bug repellant, snacks and water. Once we complete our ride, some participants will likely visit Angel Oak Cafe for lunch where all are welcome to join us.
Please register no later than Saturday September 28. All registrants will receive a confirmation letter the day prior the event.
If you have additional questions about the program, please contact us by sending an email to: SeabrookIslandBirders@gmail.com
Register here.
Beyond Our Backyard – Ft. Moultrie
When: Wednesday October 02, 8:00 -10:00 am
Location: Meet at SI real estate office to car pool (6:45 am) or you can meet us at the Fort (1214 Middle St, Sullivan’s Island. Park at Poe Avenue in the sand parking lot between Battery Jasper and Battery McCorkle)
Max: 12
Cost: Free for members, $10 per guest
Join us on a trip to Ft. Moultrie. This is a well known birding hotspot among birders and fall migration will be in full swing. We may see many migrant birds passing through. It has many different habitats, including meadow/field, forest and shoreline. We are fortunate to have Craig Watson lead this activity. Craig is a retired Migratory Bird Biologist at U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and lives in Mt. Pleasant.
Ft. Moultrie is the first fort on Sullivan’s Island. It has been rebuilt three times since 1776 and played a significant role in the Civil War. Today, Ft. Moultrie has been restored to portray the major periods of its history. A visitor to the fort moves steadily backwards in time from the World War II Harbor Entrance Control Post to the site of the Palmetto-log fort of 1776. A tour of Ft. Moultrie will not be part of our birding activity, but if you drive there yourself, you are welcome to stay and also tour the fort. They are open 9:00 am – 5:00 pm and you will need to go to the Visitor Center and purchase a $10 ticket. We will be birding the perimeter of the Fort before opening hours.
Be sure to bring sunblock, bug spray, a hat, binoculars, camera and a scope if you have one.
Please register no later than Tuesday, October 1. All registrants will receive a confirmation letter the day prior to the event.
Register here.
Ornitherapy: The Power of Birdwatching
When: Thursday, October 3, 7:00 pm
Location: The Lake House, Live Oak Hall
Holly Merker is a nature-based wellness specialist, professional birding guide, author, and lecturer who provides programming for people of all ages. Combining backgrounds in art therapy, nature and forest therapy, wellness counseling, and bird identification, she is a global advocate for the practice of Mindful Birding. She has co-authored two books which guide readers into optimizing the wellness benefits birds provides us, including the award-winning Ornitherapy: For Your Mind, Body, and Soul (Crossley Books, 2021), and The Power of Birdwatching (Die Kraft Der Vogel Beobachtung, Freya verlag, 2023 – available in Europe only). Holly has been the subject of numerous interviews and articles from around the world surrounding the topic of Mindful Birding.
Life can be busy! If we allow birds and nature to slow us down, we are practicing “selfcare”. Research shows that connecting with birds and nature actively reduces stress, depression, and anxiety, while helping build a stronger heart and immune system. Wild birds offer the perfect gateway into deeper experiences with nature.
Through observation, we can learn not only about birds, but gain insight into our own lives while exploring our connection to the world around us. This fosters stewardship and bolsters conservation.
Within the program, we’ll delve into our connections to wild birds, how to maximize the wellness benefits of birding, and learn about the latest research surrounding the impact of birds on human health and why we need birds for overall well being.
Register here.
-Submitted by SIB
(Image credit: SIB)