Latest posts
Celebrate St. Patrick’s Day – wearing the green!
Happy St. Patrick’s Day to the Irish by heritage and Irish by heart. Many celebrate by wearing their favorite green wardrobe. In honor of the day, we want to “look” at some of our green feathered friends. Three ducks come to mind…Wood Ducks and Mallards with their green heads and of course Green Winged Teals.…
“Birds at the Beach and Beyond”
Many of Kiawah & Seabrook Island’s awesome shorebirds have been migrating back here to prepare to finish the rest of their journey, or to prepare to nest and raise their young. Spring brings back our birds and is also Easter time! What better time to gift your kids or grandkids with a beautiful book about coastal…
Happy Easter: And a brief look at eggs
Many of us have happy memories of coloring eggs for Easter and then participating in a competitive hunt. My sister’s family still has a family tradition of intricately decorating eggs which the 40+ year old sons then have a competitive egg hunt in the yard. Eggs have been a part of spring celebration since at…
SIB “Bird of the Week” – Barred Owl
My husband says he’s not a birder. However, he goes birding with me on a regular basis, comes with me on most of my Shorebird Steward shifts, attends a few SIB events, and carries my tripod and other gear when I’m out taking photos. And most importantly, he’s my spotter. He has a gift for…
SIB “Bird of the Week” – Great Horned Owl
Great Horned Owl – Bubo virginianus Length: 18.1-24.8″.; Wingspan: 39.8-57.1″ ; Weight: 32.1-88.2 oz. “Who’s awake? Me too! Who’s awake? Me too!” My “Birding by Ear” audio training suggests these phonetic phrases to help identify the Great Horned Owl. One night, while sitting on our back deck at Seabrook, my husband and I heard this…
SIB ‘Bird of the week’ – Black and White Warbler
Black-and-white Warblers are medium-sized warblers (small songbirds). They have a fairly long, slightly downcurved bill. The head often appears somewhat flat and streamlined, with a short neck. The wings are long and the tail is short. Their names actually describe them well. You have to listen very closely to hear their song. They can be…
Hints for Feeding Hummingbirds
It’s great to learn something new, especially when it saves you time and effort. Recently I was listening to the podcast Talkin Birds. Mike O’Connor, the owner of Birdwatchers General Store on Cape Cod, contributes weekly in a segment called “Let’s Ask Mike”. A couple weeks ago his topic was on feeding the hummingbirds. I…
Nesting Birds on Seabrook Island – Part I: Cavity Nesters
Spring is in the air and the birds are busy building nests and raising their young. The post below was originally distributed in 2017. Like many things we knew (or missed) years ago, it’s good to repeat some information. ************************************************** What is a cavity nester? Cavity nesting birds are ones that build nests, lay eggs…
Colonial Nesters on and near Seabrook Island
The article below has been updated since its original post in 2017. Current SIB members may experience different colony nests than reported here. Recently we visited the rookery seen on Ocean Winds golf course or at a recent Backyard Birding. That caused us to ask which birds nest in “rookeries” here on Seabrook Island. Quite…
Can birds signal your romantic future?
Happy Valentines Day to (bird) lovers everywhere! Doves, cardinals and lovebirds (a type of parrot) come to mind when people think of birds and love together. But ornithomancy is a practice dating to ancient times when Greeks and Romans used it to interpret their bird sightings and get a glimpse into the future. According to ornithomancy, single…
