Latest posts
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…
Why I am a SI Shorebird Steward (and why I think you would enjoy it, too)
Like most of us, I spent much of my 40 year professional career inside, behind a computer screen. Retiring to Seabrook Island in 2020 was an epiphany for me and my husband, Doug. There is a whole world out here! There are no lions and tigers and bears, but plenty of alligators, dolphins, and, of…
SIB “Bird of the Week” – Western Cattle Egret
How did I miss the memo!?! The Cattle Egret that I’ve enjoyed observing, often in fields feeding near livestock and rarely ever near water like most other egrets and herons, got a name change! It wasn’t until I read about Judy Morr’s travels to Florida a few weeks ago that I even realized a change had happened! …
What’s the Deal with the Capitalizion of Bird Names?
Have you ever noticed when you read the articles from Seabrook Island Birders (SIB), the common names of birds are capitalized? The same is true with nearly every bird book, bird periodical or birding website. However, if you read articles in non-birding publications including print media, these same common names are not capitalized, unless a…
SIB “Bird of the Week” – Eastern Bluebird
Eastern Bluebird – Sialia sialisLength: 7″; Wingspan: 13″; Weight: 1.1 oz. Slightly smaller than its cousin the Robin, this bird is distinctive in its rusty red colored breast and white belly with a sky blue head, back and tail. The female shares the rusty red breast and white belly but is grayer with faint blue tails and wings.…
Update: SIB made 2023 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. It was so much fun, we will do it again for 2024. If you have forgotten to share a list from 2023, you can still do…
Suggestions to Improve Birding Skills in 2024
One of my favorite Maine birders is Bob Duchesne. He has taken Flo and me on several day-long birding trips in search of boreal species in Northern Maine as well as a 4-day birding trip to Grand Manan, a Canadian island off the coast of Maine. He’s very knowledgable but also funny! He writes a regular column for…
Results of 124th Annual Christmas Bird Count (CBC)
On January 3, 2024, 21 SIB members contributed to the 2023-2024 Sea Island Christmas Bird Count (CBC). We had 5 teams of birders hitting Seabrook Island “hotspots” of Jenkins Point, Palmetto Lake, North Beach, the Lake District, Camp St Christopher, Bohicket Marina, SIPOA/Club horse pasture and maintenance area, Crooked Oaks and Ocean Winds golf courses,…
Caw Caw Features Art of a SIB Member
As you know, our group has many talented members, including artists of all types. One of those is Chris Correale, who is featured this quarter at the Caw Caw Interpretive Center County Park, located about 35 minutes from the gates of Seabrook Island at 5200 Savannah Hwy., Ravenel, SC 29470. Please welcome our first featured artist…
Wind turbines are friendlier to birds than oil-and-gas drilling
A member of Seabrook Island Birders shared this interesting article. Birders get nervous when they see landscapes covered in wind turbines. When the wind gets going, their blades can spin at well over 200km per hour. It is easy to imagine careless birds getting chopped to bits. Campaigners often point to the possibility when opposing…