Birding in the Lowcountry

Welcome to the Lowcountry, a mecca for birders!

For beginning birders or birding enthusiasts, Hilton Head Island and the surrounding Beaufort County area is a place to marvel at the diversity of bird life that includes Spring and Fall migrants as well as our resident birds. From the colonial- nesting waterbirds who delight birdwatchers at our numerous rookeries to the thousands of near-threatened Red Knots who migrate through our beaches and fuel up on horseshoe crabs, the Lowcountry is a place to celebrate birds!

The Atlantic coastal habitats are part of the Great Atlantic Flyway, a bird migration pattern that goes along the East Coast of North America. Shorebirds are some of the world’s most amazing migratory species. Many species nest in the arctic and sub-arctic zones of the globe and spend the winter in the Southern Hemisphere. During their travels, they stop in large groups to rest and fuel themselves to sustain their migration. Hilton Head Island and the sea islands of Beaufort County provide both stop-over sites for flocks of thousands of these migrating birds. It also provides wintering grounds for birds that do not travel as far south.

Ready to go birding? Check our list of Birding Hotspots to start your birding adventure!

Birds of Hilton Head Island
Birds of Beaufort County, SC