Latest posts
-
What is eBird? And why should I use it?
If you’ve ever wondered how birders and birdwatchers keep track of the birds they see, the most common answer is eBird. But what is eBird, and why should we use it? eBird is a project where birdwatchers from all over the world share their bird sightings. Run by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, it lets…
-
Birders’ reasons to be thankful
Birders have some of their own reasons to be thankful on this special day. An informal survey of some Seabrook Island Birders resulted in a good list. My original plan was to list 10 items but the survey resulted in more than 10. Do you have others to add to the list? The items below…
-
Hooded Mergansers have returned!
Every year in late October we start asking the question “When will Hooded Mergansers return?” Usually it’s in early November, around the 10th. This year they’re a little early! During our Bike & Bird activity on Friday, four were spotted at Jenkins Point. Three males and one female were happily splashing around in the lagoon.…
-
The Eerie Sounds of Halloween
Ghostly screams that pierce the night. Haunting, mournful, and eerie wails. Raspy shrieks and hair-raising screeches. These are the chilling sounds of Halloween. Setting the stage for suspense, doom, and dread, no one creates frightening sounds better than Hollywood. But in many cases, the mournful wail or terrifying screech comes from a bird, not a…
-
Red Knot Update #4
As of August 29th, 2025, we have 11 satellite-tagged Red Knots still transmitting location data. Two were banded on March 30th and nine on May 18th—which we have now been tracking for 151 days and 102 days, respectively. Below are their flag codes: LC1 LM2 LN0 LN4 LN5 LN6 LN7 LN8 LP7 LP8 LM9 Here…
-
Move over Maverick, Hummingbirds are the real Top Guns!
If you’re a fan of the movie “Top Gun”, you’ve surely seen the sequel in which Maverick (Tom Cruise) reaches Mach 10 during a test flight of his Darkstar aircraft. Impressive, to say the least, but then it’s Hollywood. The G-force at this speed would likely have been 8-9 Gs. Most pilots could sustain 9…
-
Thoughts of a New Bird Watcher
Occasionally through the years I would look at what birds were doing for a few minutes and then go back to what I was supposed to be doing. I never thought watching birds would be so interesting and so much fun. But that was before last spring when I put two bird feeders outside my…
-
Update #3 – Red Knot Tracking (and Hurricane Erin)
We are happy to report that both of the Red Knots tracking over the Atlantic Ocean have successfully reached land! LP7 veered slightly west of the impending storm, flying through the Caribbean Sea before making landfall in Venezuela just a couple hours before midnight on 8/15! It is now at Salina Solar Los Olivitos, a Western Hemisphere…
-
Latest Update! Red Knot Tracking
We have big news on the tracking front with two birds (LN5 and LP7) flying over the open Atlantic Ocean, southeast of Bermuda, and possibly on a collision course with tropical system, Erin. LP7 departed from Port Nelson, Hudson Bay, CA on the evening of 8/10, while LN5 left from James Bay, CA a day…
-
Welcome Summer and our Summer Birds
Happy Summer! Like us, many birds avoid the summer sun by limiting daytime activity. These birds will forage in the early morning, evening or throughout the night so they can conserve energy and rest during the warmest times of day. You can plan your birding activities to coincide with the birds schedules. SIB’s “Sit, Sip…