We are looking for volunteers for our monthly Audubon Newhall Preserve  “Second Saturday Work Day.”  Come prune a bush, paint, weed, or help with what ever chore is needed to keep the Preserve looking good.

Please meet in the parking lot by 8:30 AM. Water and donuts will be provided. Gloves and eye protection recommended.

Registration is not required, but RSVPs are helpful but not required either to: rclemens318@gmail.com 

(Member registration opens on 4/6; Nonmembers on 4/13.)

Join Steve Hein, Executive Director of the Center for Wildlife Education at Georgia Southern University, as he provides a unique up-close opportunity to see three majestic birds of prey; the Peregrin Falcon, Harris Hawk and Goshawk. Learn about the distinctive adaptations that each bird has that make it such a skilled hunter. 

MOTHERS DAY SPECIAL !

Join Master Birder Lynn Hodgson for our favorite spring birding location. We will meet at the Cypress Wetlands on Paris Avenue in Port Royal, SC. for an hour or so birding from the boardwalk, which offers close-up views of bird MOM’s! -- waterfowl, wading birds, alligators, turtles, and occasional surprises. The rookery here is huge, with all the wading birds nesting, and by early May should have lots of egret and heron chicks begging for food!  Other species may still be sitting on nests with eggs. 

 If there is enough interest, we will detour to another smaller section of the Wetlands about 2 blocks away. Then we return to the main trail around the other side of the larger wetland, including a viewing platform with views of the “backsides” of the islands visible from the boardwalk.  While there are a few roots to avoid on the trail part, this is a flat, easy walk of about a mile. Maybe a mile and a half if we do the detour. The Boardwalk is open to the sun & weather, but the trail part is shaded. Dress for the weather, sunscreen, sunglasses, and hat recommended -- and expect bugs. 

Directions: From Hilton Head / Bluffton, take Rte 170 toward Beaufort. Cross the Broad River bridge, then right at the traffic light onto Rte 21. Watch for the veer to stay on Rte 21 which becomes Ribaut Rd. In Port Royal, look for a Parkers gas station on the right, just where Ribaut Rd and Paris Ave. come together. The entrance to the Cypress Wetlands is actually on Paris Ave, directly across from the Parkers (also the nearest restrooms), and next to the Police Station. Park along Paris Ave, and walk back to the Wetlands boardwalk. We recommend you plan to stay for lunch at one of several small restaurants near the Wetlands or the Fishcamp Restaurant on 11^th St. They will be crowded on Mother’s Day, so we will try to finish the loop trail around 11. 

Tickets for Members and Nonmembers are $12.00.

(Member registration opens on 4/6; Nonmembers on 4/13.)

Join us on Tuesday May 13th at Jarvis Creek Park on Hilton Head  for our annual end of the season picnic, rain or shine. We will gather at 4:30pm, join a bird walk at 5:00pm to catch any lingering migrants or newly arriving summer residents  before dining at 6:00pm.

Hilton Head Audubon will supply fried chicken, drinks, and all paper products. We ask that you bring a side to share and showcase your culinary skills! It will be a great time to chat with birding friends or get to know other members with whom you share a passion for birds and the natural world.

Located off William Hilton Parkway on 50 Jarvis Creek Road, this 53-acre park includes a large pond, fishing pier, open fields, picnic shelters, playground, a one mile walking trail and workout stations. You are encouraged to bring a folding chair - we have rented a pavilion but seating is limited. Tickets for this event are $10.00 per adult HHA member and $12.50 for nonmembers.

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 the food trucks on site.  Visit the telescope set up in the gazebo over the marsh. 

Bring your binoculars, wear comfortable footwear and water. 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.

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

Member registration opens 5/4, nonmember on 5/11.

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.