Seabrook Island Birders Membership is comprised of residents, renters, and guests who have an interest in watching, learning about, and protecting the well-being of the incredible variety of birds that inhabit Seabrook Island. Membership has continued to grow, as of 2024 SIB has more than 300 members. The organization is coordinated and overseen by a Board of Directors (BOD) made up of 4 officers, committee chairs, and appointed individuals, ranging in size from 6 to 15 people. Current committees are Programs, Birding Activities, Hospitality, Communications, Membership, Shorebird Stewards, Bluebird Society, and the addition of a Webmaster/Data Manager. The BOD meets once per month using a hybrid meeting format, reviewing monthly reports from committees and dealing with any new or old business.
Seabrook Island Birders currently runs a full year-round calendar of activities and programs. There is an active blog, the public can “Ask SIB” and get a professional response to any bird-related question. A program managing 70+ bluebird boxes found along the two golf courses and around the SIPOA Lake House is managed through SIB with financial support from Seabrook Island Club. SIB has significantly expanded its outreach with multiple mechanisms for membership contact occurring through social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and Nextdoor. The Activities Committee schedules and administers activities that are more informal than evening programs. The intent is to educate and entertain members about the birds on Seabrook Island and elsewhere, gatherings include Bird Walks, Backyard Birding, Movies, Seminars, and Bird Counts. The SIB website, www.seabrookislandbirders.org, serves as a clearing house of the club’s important communications to members and others via blogs. It is where SIB shares information regularly in support of its mission, club activities and programs.
SIB remains committed to its core goals of watching, learning, and protecting but also is a dynamic organization that responds when issues that impact birds and their habitat arise. SIB has established itself as a voice on Seabrook Island speaking about the importance of protecting birds. The Shorebird Stewards program works to educate people, both residents, and visitors, on the importance of protecting the habitat required for our resident shorebird population and for those groups of birds who depend on our beaches during migration and for nesting. In 2023, the stewards had interactions with nearly 1,000 people on the beach allowing critical contact time for education. Members have contributed a SIB-dedicated article to the Seabrooker newspaper since February 2019, the first one being on the Roseate Spoonbill. Wonderful educational brochures and bird checklists were published by the group initially, these functions currently are covered by updated electronic mechanisms such as Merlin and e-Bird. SIB has also taken policy positions by commenting publicly on issues related to beach restoration and habitat preservation, this advocacy role adds an educated bird-focused narrative to discussions on Seabrook Island. Members gather for in-person speaker-based programs 4-5 times per year to expand their understanding of birds and their habitats. Topics have included talks on many bird species (pelicans, prothonotary warblers, painted buntings, wood storks, etc.), yearly presentations on current shorebird research, and continued visits from the Birds of Prey Center who bringing live birds for our members to see.
Join SIB and become an active participant in our goal of watching, learning about and protecting birds.