Latest posts
Shorebird Stewards and Fourteen Piping Plovers
A familiar sight in spring, beachgoers may be surprised to see some of our Shorebird Stewards out and about this fall. So, what’s up? As the sand renourishment project continues on North Beach, Seabrook Island Shorebird Stewards will be out on the beach each day. But it’s not about the sand renourishment. With the attraction…
SIB Reports: SCDNR Botany Bay Bird Watching Trailer Tour – Nov 15, 2024
Enjoy the diverse bird population with SCDNR & renowned ornithologist Craig Watson for a bird-watching trailer tour throughout the Botany Bay Wildlife Management Area (WMA). Many of our wintering bird species are arriving or have arrived in the Lowcountry! It is a good time for unusual and rare birds to show up! RSVP REQUIRED click…
Hooded Mergansers have returned
On October 25, we asked the question “When will Hooded Mergansers return?” (see below). It’s a little earlier than average but Glen Cox reported and Don Smith confirmed the Hooded Mergansers returned to Jenkins Point on November 3. Migration is definitely in full swing. Enjoy these beautiful “winter” residents. ———————————————————————————- One of the first signs…
Ask SIB: What are those small birds on the beach?
Question: I was at the beach near Boardwalk 1 yesterday around noon and there were hundreds of small birds gathering from the west and flying over the inlet. They looked like swallows or something of that type. Can anyone tell me what kind of bird they might be? Meg Kaufmann Answer: A similar question has…
SIB Travels: An African Safari
As soon as Turtle Patrol season was over on Seabrook, my husband and I left for an adventure in Southern Africa. We’d been on safari 33 years ago and were very excited to have an opportunity to go back. Our goal was twofold – see Victoria Falls and see the Big Five (lions, leopards, rhinos,…
Becoming a Martin “Landlord”.
Seabrook Island Birders are bringing an exciting new collaborative to Seabrook Island. Later this year we will be erecting Purple Martin housing through the very generous and enthusiastic support of the Equestrian center, Jennifer Tyrrell of the Charleston Natural History Society(Audubon), Seabrook Island Environment and Wildlife Committee and the Town of Seabrook Island. In early…
What’s New in Avian Taxonomy?
Most of our members love birds, and some of us might consider ourselves a “bird nerd.” In any event, we hope everyone will be interested to learn that each year, scientists review data to update the taxonomy of bird species. A major update has just completed, resulting in 3 newly-recognized species (one is newly-described), 141…
Bird of the Week: Red-winged Blackbird
For years I’ve been noticing smaller birds like Chickadees, Titmice and Wrens mob larger birds like Crows and Blue Jays, and medium size birds such as Mockingbirds, Blue Jays and Crows mob larger birds like Hawks and Owls if they encroach into their territory. Just the other morning Blue Jays were causing a complete ruckus…
Update: SIB to make 2024 a “Big Year”!
At the end of 2022, we challenged our members to make 2023 a “Big Year”. A copy of that original post is below. The year was bigger than we anticipated with a final count of 1,027 species. It was so much fun, we decided to do it again for 2024. Can we beat that fabulous number…
Learn Bird Anatomy
Cornell Lab recently made available a free learning session that may interest you. Their email states: From diving ducks to flightless ostriches to zippy hummingbirds, all birds have some basic anatomical features in common. If you’re curious about all the nerdy-birdy details of how birds move, forage, and fly, learning bird anatomy can be a…