Join Hilton Head Audubon’s day at Historic Mitchellville Freedom Park’s Juneteenth celebration!    

Conservation and nature groups will show the beauty of both birds and nature on Hilton Head Island and particularly at the Park.  The highlight of the day will be a raptor demonstration with Lila Arnold, who will introduce the audience to her owls and hawks at 11:15am and 1:15pm.

Also, spend time learning about what great work conservation and nature organizations are doing and grab lunch from they guys grilling burgers and hot dogs.  Visit the telescope set up in the gazebo over the marsh. 

Bring your binoculars, wear comfortable footwear and bring a water bottle as the Quench Buggy will be there as our water supplier.

Prepare for a memorable day connecting with nature and history at this special Juneteenth celebration.

Some parking will be available on site at Historic Mitchellville Freedom Park.  Additional parking is located Cherry Hill School at the corner of Dillion and Beach City Road, a short walk to the Park.

Registration for Application closed 5/16/25

Outside of a university setting, the Lowcountry does not have an advanced-level nature education program focused on birds. There is a need for continuing education classes that inspire and train people to become better birders.

Vision Statement

The Hilton Head Audubon Lowcountry Master Birder program will be an opportunity for highly motivated and enthusiastic people to become exceptional birders. This program would feature high standards for achievement with rigorous assessment methods. This one-year, intensive program is intended to be a formal integration of important aspects of bird identification and avian biology and ecology.

Goal

The goal of this Hilton Head Audubon program is to create a cadre of exceptional birders in South Carolina’s Lowcountry who will become leaders in our birding community. Successful participants will have the distinction of being a “Lowcountry Master Birder.”

At this point we are seeking the level of interest in this Program.  Please click on the link below for futher information about the Program.  If you are interested, please register.  You will not be committed to signing up or for paying at this time.  Someone will be in contact with you about program enrollment. Please contact Jim Asmuth at jasmuth@snet.net should you have questions.

Further info about Lowcountry Master Birder Program

Join expert birders Jim Asmuth and Chip Walker for a car caravan sandpiper hunt at this working turf farm. We will be stopping when we sight activity on the sod fields. Scopes would be helpful; Chip and Jim will be bringing theirs. Target birds are the Upland, Buff-Breasted and Pectoral Sandpipers, all of which were seen around that time in 2024. There is a colony of year round Ground Doves, as well. It takes about 2 2- 2.5 hours to cover the various sod fields. Note that people are welcome when the farm is NOT working - which means weekends only. We will meet at the Piggly Wiggly, 10847 N. Jacob Smart Blvd. in downtown Ridgeland. SC parking lot at 8:30am. Take Rte 278 to I-95North and get off at the Ridgeland exit. We will carpool from there, so we have more eyes in each vehicle, and fewer vehicles. The drive is about 35-40 minutes from Bluffton. There are no facilities or water available after the Piggly Wiggly. There is little shade and the roads are packed sand but very passable. If we have really nasty weather (e.g. hurricane?), our rain date will be Sept 6.

Tickets are $12.00 for members and nonmembers. Limited to 15 people.

Member registration opens 8/3; nonmembers on 8/10.

Start the fall field trip season with a slow meander with Master Birder, Terry Cerisoles, around the newly established Mid Island Community Park, which is being converted from many years as a golf course. At present, there is a small parking lot, some port-o-potties, and plenty of old, uneven, but mowed golf cart paths and fairways. Bordering pines a, but others are not often seen elsewhere on Hilton Head. The very tall dead standing pines host the only Red-Headed Woodpecker colony we know of on the island. Join Hilton Head Audubon along the paths and lagoons, for about 2 or 3 hours, 2 or 3 miles. Except for occasional overflying aircraft , this place feels very wild but is in the heart of the island. 

Directions: The parking lot is about 100 yards off of Rte 278, on Union Cemetery Rd, Hilton Head SC. If coming from the north (from Bluffton or the Cross Island Expressway), take 278 Business East. Go past Matthews Rd, then past the Dillon Rd interesection (McDonald's) -- both of which have traffic lights. The next left (no traffic light) is Union Cemetery Rd. If coming from the south on Rte 278 Business (e.g. from Sea Pines), go past Port Royal Plantation entrance, and take the next right onto Union Cemetery Rd. If you make the turn onto Union Cemetery Rd, but miss the parking lot, you will soon see the Union Cemetery itself, and need to turn around.

Tickets are $12.00 for members and nonmembers. Capacity is limited to 15 people. Rain date is Sept 20th.