Sunday November 08, 2026 — 8:00 am – 4:00 pm (6:30am allowing for travel time)
Birding at Santee Coastal Reserve Wildlife Management Area (WMA) at 220 Santee Gun Club Road, McClellanville, SC
Location: Meet at Seabrook Island Real Estate to carpool at 6:30 am
Option: Meet at 7:45am at Sewee Outpost at 4853 Hwy 17, Awendaw, SC (32.928946768826464, -79.71288155767162) to buy breakfast, lunch and to use restrooms before proceeding to the Reserve.
Leader: Jennifer Jerome
Max: 16 for the morning half-day portion // 8 for the whole-day afternoon option
Cost: Free for members; $10 donation for guests
Join SIB to bird at Santee Coastal Reserve Wildlife Management Area (WMA), a 24,000 acre tract, operated by the SC Department of Natural Resources (DNR) and The Nature Conservancy (TNC), rich in different habitats including long-leaf pine, bottomland swamp, upland hardwoods and former rice impoundments. The area was originally inhabited by the Sewee and the Winyah tribes. Then, several rice plantations were established here in the 1700s. Today, you can still see the brick ruins of the Eldorado plantation house on a hike through the upland hardwoods. In 1898, Captain Hugh Garden established the Santee Gun Club upon his acquisition of these rice plantations. Finally in 1974, the Santee Gun Club donated the property to TNC who then transferred most of it to the state of SC for management by DNR.
Of course, a variety of habitats translates to a variety of birdlife. On this trip, we will focus our efforts on 2 habitats primarily. First, in the morning, we will bird the long-leaf pine forest to find the federally-listed endangered Red-cockaded Woodpecker (RCW) and, hopefully, Bachman’s Sparrow and then, in the afternoon, we will bird the entrance to the impoundments to observe multiple early arriving duck species.
The long entrance road runs through the middle of the long-leaf pine forest in which we will find the RCWs. Our birding here will be roadside. In addition to the RCWs, we will listen for owls. . Other species at this time of year to see are the Blue-headed vireo, Brown-headed Nuthatch, White-breasted Nuthatch, raptors, Pine Warbler, Eastern Bluebird, Song Sparrow, White-throated Sparrow, Savannah Sparrow, Chipping Sparrow, Swamp Sparrow, Eastern Towhee, and possibly all of the other 7 species of woodpecker in SC. Other possibilities include Yellow-throated Warbler, Common Yellowthroat, Black-and-white Warbler, Blue-gray Gnatcatcher, House Wren, Sedge Wren, Red-breasted Nuthatch, if we are lucky.
The Cape Trail impoundments are closed to the public from November 1 to February 9 every year.
As always, be sure to bring your binoculars/cameras, hats, sunscreen and bug spray. Bring plenty to drink and a picnic lunch to eat on the property. There are no facilities on the property so be prepared for that.
If you are not yet a 2026 SIB member, you may become a member for only $15 by following the instructions on our website: Become a Member. You may bring the form and your dues to the event. Or you may pay the Guest Fee of $10.
Please register no later than November 5th. All registrants will receive a confirmation letter on the November 7th, the day prior to the trip. If you need to cancel, please let us know.
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