Dr. Norman Levine, director of the Lowcountry Hazards Center at the College of Charleston, will explore potentially dangerous natural events unique to the Lowcountry during the Seabrook Island Natural History Group’s Evening Program on Wednesday, March 20, at 7:00 pm at the Lake House.
Category 2 or higher-level hurricanes visiting the coast in each of the last three years are just the most widely experienced of events that nature can produce along the Carolina shoreline. Dr. Levine’s work for the Lowcountry Hazards Center also includes studies of other hazards such as earthquakes, storm surges, sea level change, and the effect of crucial habitat loss due to increased urbanization along ecologically sensitive coastal areas. The Center serves as a clearing house for pre-and post-disaster activities and as an educational resource for Lowcountry residents and agencies.
In addition to his directorship of the Center, Dr. Levine serves as an Associate Professor at the College of Charleston specializing in the use of GIS technology for monitoring and predicting hazardous conditions, and is the author of over 100 publications in peer- reviewed journals and other educational outlets.
All Seabrook Island residents and their guests are welcome to attend Dr. Levine’s presentation in the Live Oak Room at Lake House. There is a $5 charge for non-SINHG members. Pre-registration is available sinhg.org.
For SIB’s second movie matinee, we will be presenting Winged Migration, the 2001 documentary on the migratory patterns of birds, shot over the course of three years on all seven continents. Watch the Winged Migration trailer here.
SIB will provide the popcorn and snacks! You can bring pillows to make the chairs more comfy and BYOB. Please sign up to join us for this fun afternoon where you will be amazed by the beauty and wonder of birds!
Each year the Audubon encourages everyone to be a citizen scientist and document the birds they see in their yards and travels during the Presidents Day weekend (this year Friday February 15 – Monday February 18). For our third year in a row, SIB organized four walks on Sunday each at different habitats, including the beach, salt marsh, ponds, and woodlands. A final birding trip using golf carts on Ocean Winds golf course was held on Monday.
In total throughout the five trips, we had a record 85 bird species recorded for the GBBC with 28 people participating from age 11 through … well, we didn’t actually ask! Thank you to all our members who came out to bird and contribute to this annual bird count as a citizen scientist! A special thanks to David Green of Camp St. Christopher and part-time resident Bob Mercer who led some of the trips!
Click here to enjoy the photos taken by some of SIB members.
With the Great Backyard Bird Count (GBBC) coming up this weekend, the National Audubon Society wrote a great article on the common bird species you are likely to see at your feeders and in your backyards. Of the 15 birds they describe, there are nine we are likely to see in your backyard on Seabrook Island with one additional bird’s “cousin” and one found at the horse pasture. The remaining can also be seen in South Carolina, but not generally on Seabrook Island.
How many can you name? Where do you see them? We hope you will join us on Sunday and/or Monday for our annual GBBC! And we hope you will record your sightings for the GBBC this weekend (and every day!) using eBird.org.
It is only natural to conjure up romantic ideas about your bird families. If you have had the good fortune to watch a nest being built and hatchlings being tended by diligent bird parents you want to imagine that your avian family will live and love happily ever after. Where there is no indication that many offspring stay with their parents for long, there are several bird species couples that mate for life.
Sadly for us romantics, there is no emotional attachment between bird pairs. Their bonds are driven by successfully producing offspring and even the ability to care for and protect their brood. And, if the bird couple does not successfully produce eggs, they will look for other mates. This keeps their species strong.
Advantages of a long term relationship is that the couple may produce more than one brood in a season or even replace a brood that was attacked by predators or lost in a natural disaster. The attentive partner comes in handy for building the nest and feedings during the incubation period for the mate and the baby birds in the nest. This is most important for the larger birds and birds of prey where the nesting time is longer and there is the need for a large area to acquire food and keep the hatchings protected. A great birding basics article to check out about birds that mate for life is from The Spruce, Do Birds Mate For Life?.
Northern Cardinal – Dean Morr
There are a number of species that we see often on Seabrook Island that will be celebrating Valentines Day as a couple. Probably the most familiar bird couple to anyone living east of the Mississippi is the Northern Cardinal. Even though you see large flocks in the winter it is common to see a mated pair together at your feeder where occasionally the male will feed the female a seed in a gesture that looks like a kiss. You may have also experienced a Northern Cardinal attacking his reflection on your car mirror or house window. This is that male protecting his female and their territory.
Blue Jay – Ed Konrad
The male Blue Jay is another common bird in our area that, after being chosen by the female from a pool of a half dozen or more contenders, is loyal for life. The male is integral in the nesting season and the aggressive behavior that some many complain about is merely a loud bird protecting his family.
Black Vultures
The Black Vultures that can be seen on top of the shops at Freshfields not only catch up with their mate for nesting season, but enjoy hanging out together all year round. When the male Black Vulture spots a prospective female, he chases her in flight and periodically dives at her. Annoying to some, but apparently this works for enticing the female Black Vulture.
Bald Eagle on nest – C.Moore
Our most beloved Bald Eagle is a raptor that finds a life mate. This pair also returns to the same territory and nest each year. If they successfully produce young at a nest they will go back year after year adding to that same nest. Some nests can end up weighing one or two tons. Many on Seabrook Island can attest to that having seen the huge Bald Eagles nest on Bohicket Creek.
These are but a few examples of the species that will be celebrating Valentine’s Day together. According to an article in Bird Watchers Digest Do Birds Mate for Life? and statistics from The Sibley Guide to Bird Life and Behavior, 90% of all bird species are socially monogamous. There may be a little more about cheating in the Sibley’s statement, but we won’t go there since it’s Valentine’s Day. ❤
A group of seventeen hearty Seabrookers joined us last Friday morning, February 1, for a bird walk on North Beach. Our part-time bird experts, Aija Konrad, and Bob Mercer, led the group on a mile and a half walk from the owners parking lot at Boardwalk #1 to the Kiawah River inlet on the ’40-’50s partly sunny day. In total, we saw 38 species of birds (see below), including the infamous American Oystercatcher U5 and mate who have made Seabrook Island their home for nearly five years, two Piping Plovers, four species of gulls which we were able to compare and contrast, and many others!
Lesser Scaup
North Beach
Dunlin
Heading to the point
American Oystercatcher
Red-shouldered Hawk
Piping Plover
SI American Oystercatcher U5 and mate
At the point
Semipalmated Plover
Thanks to all our members who came out for a fun and informative walk on the beach! We hope you will consider joining one of our upcoming events by viewing and signing up on our website .
A couple of Seabrook Island residents were concerned and sent SIB an email on Friday, January 17.
Hi, we have a pelican in our backyard on Seabrook Island that has been here all morning and now afternoon. It is on its stomach. When I approached it to take a picture it quickly got up on its feet and flapped its wings, then as soon as I came inside it went back down on its stomach again. Please let us know what to do. Thank you.
A new year starts with a review of the prior year. Thatpresentation is now available on our web page.
On January 30, Ed and Aija Konrad amazed the 68 attendees of our first evening event of the year with their “Tales of a Big Year.” A separate post will provide a more complete recap of that enjoyable evening. Prior to the presentation, the organization approved the 2019 Executive Committee and Officers.
Seabrook Island Birders participated in the Christmas Bird Count on a foggy January 4. More informationcan be found in our previous post or on our web page.
A “walk” down Jenkins Point on January 17 saw a dozen Roseate Spoonbills roosting over the lagoon. The same area showed 22 Black-crowned Night-Heron. 29 additional species were also seen or heard. A great start for the year.
Also on January 17, a dozen SIB members learned more on how to use eBird to enter their sightings or find where to locate specific birds.
On January 22, a different type of activity was enjoyed…a movie matinee. Thirteen members met at The Lake House to watch “The Big Year.”
The mist and drizzle on January 24 didn’t stop eight members from exploring the area around the club maintenance area and the water treatment facility. A total of 41 species were observed that morning.
Check out our Activity Page to view and sign-up for our upcoming events.
The Seabrook Island Birders are happy to announce that their newly updated bird checklist is available on their website at Seabrook Island Bird Checklist. You can now print the updated version for your next birdwatching outing or to keep at your island home where you observe your feeders. No printer? No problem! The new brochures with the checklist have been ordered and should be available at The Seabrook Island Birders’ next meeting on January 30, 2019, at 7:00 pm at the Lake House. If you can’t make the meeting, they will continue to be available at the Lake House and other locations around Seabrook Island.
FYI! On that same page of Seabrook Island Birders website, you can also find checklists for Kiawah Island and the Ace Basin.
We can all identify a sparrow, right? A small brown bird that you see in and around shrubbery and occasionally at your feeders. Would it surprise you to know that there are at least 35 species of sparrows and even subspecies of some of those types? And, since they are such a small and active bird, identification can be a definite challenge. It’s no wonder they are often called LBJ….Little Brown Jobs.
Register now to join us at one of our favorite places on Seabrook Island for bird watching. The maintenance area and water treatment ponds attract songbirds, ducks, wading birds, and birds of prey. This is a short and easy walk and perfect for those who want to try birding for the first time.
Bring your binoculars and wear walking shoes that are suitable for walking in areas that may be damp or muddy. You may also want to bring your hat, water, bug spray, and sunscreen.
When: Thursday, January 24, 2019, 9:00 am-11:00 am
Where: Seabrook Island Maintenance Center
Cost: Free for Seabrook Island Birders members or $5 donation for nonmembers
Please park and meet our group in the SI Community Garden parking lot.
If you are not yet a 2019 SIB member, you can become a member for only $10 by following the instructions on our Seabrook Island Birders website. If you were a 2018 member but have yet to renew for 2019, you may renew following the instructions above or renew the day of the walk.
We know most Seabrook Island Birder members enjoy watching the many birds around Seabrook Island. On one of SIB’s bird walks we may be lucky to see 25 different species. SIB members Aija and Ed Konrad decided to make 2018 a “Big Year” and set a goal to find 500 species in 365 days within the United States.
Join us at the Lake House for another fun and informative evening with Aija and Ed’s “Tales of a Big Year – the journey to 570”, highlighting their adventures as they crisscrossed the country from coast to coast.
Many of you have met Aija and Ed as they have led bird walks on the island. Aija became an avid birder after deer invaded her award-winning gardens in Atlanta. Ed soon followed as a photographer extraordinaire of the birds they see. Their home is in Atlanta but also enjoy their condo on Seabrook Island where you can often see them on North Beach with binoculars, spotting scope and long lens camera, enjoying the various sea and shore birds.
SIB will provide beverages including wine and coffee. We ask everyone to RSVP no later than January 27, 2019 so we will know how much wine to purchase and how many chairs to set up.
For only $10, you may join or renew your 2019 SIB membership the night of the event. Non-members will pay $5 to attend.
Don’t miss this chance to have another fun filled evening with our flock of Seabrook Island Birders!
