(Member registration opens on 1/5; Nonmembers on 1/12.)

The newly established Mid-Island Community Park is being converted from the abandoned Planter’s Row golf course into a park. At present, there is a small parking lot, some port-o-potties, and plenty of old, uneven but mowed golf cart paths and fairways with bordering pines and oaks, all very popular with birds. Some species are common, but others rarely seen elsewhere on Hilton Head. The very tall dead standing pines host the only red-headed woodpecker colony we know of on the island. There is a good chance we will see all 6 wintering woodpeckers.  Join expert birder Jim Asmuth for a meander along the paths, around the lagoons, for about 2 1/2 hours.  Walk 2 to 3 miles of semi-wildness (except for plane engine noise from the nearby airport!) in the heart of the island. This trip is geared toward beginning birders, but all are welcome.

Directions: The parking lot is about 100 yds off of Rte 278, on Union Cemetery Rd, Hilton Head, SC, which begins one block south of the Dillon Rd traffic Light, on the left.

If coming from the north (from Bluffton or the Cross Island Expressway), take 278 Business east. Go past Mathews Rd, then past the Dillon Rd intersection (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. Limited to 15 people.

EVENT IS FREE BUT PLEASE RSVP!

The Coastal Conservation League advocates to protect the natural environment of South Carolina's coast for the benefit of all.  Their vision is a SC coast where wildlife thrives, air and water are clean, and natural landscapes are protected for generations to come.  Join us to get an update from CCL Project Manager Grant McClure on CCL's local conservation initiatives, including single use plastic bags and controversial land development projects.  

This event is free but you must register!

Feel like you need some help with the basics?  New to Birding? Please join Hilton Head Audubon VP & Master Birder Lynn Hodgson and HHA Board Member Ava Elizabeth Rios at Jarvis Creed Park on Hilton Head at noon.  This is a special event for teens, tweens and children.

We will discuss and demonstrate some basic birding skills, such as purchasing, adjusting, and practicing with binoculars, clues for identification, introduction to Hilton Head Audubon.

Bring binoculars if you have them. Basic beginner binoculars will be available to borrow if needed. Dress for standing around in the weather. We will probably walk 1 to 1 l/2 miles, and spend about 2 hours. Meet at the fishing pier, near the restrooms. If the weather is cooperative, you might wish to bring a picnic lunch. There are several pavilions with picnic tables.

Join Master Birder Stephen Dickson for this late winter/early spring walk. We will bird the parking lot for woodpeckers, then proceed to Ibis Pond and vicinity for gallinules, coots, visiting ducks, etc. We will then proceed to Starr Pond, which has fewer birds, but surprises us sometimes. At this point, the group will probably split. Those who have had enough or have other commitments (or if the weather is nasty) will head back to the parking lot, but the hardiest will follow Stephen behind Starr to the back trail (sometimes a bit wet) to Osprey Pond.

Dress for the weather and wear shoes/boots for a walk of about 3 miles. There are no facilities at Pinckney. Definitely bring water and binoculars, and perhaps a snack. There are picnic tables at Ibis Pond, if you want to stop for lunch on your way back to the parking lot.

Tickets for Members and Nonmembers are $12.00. Limited to 15 people.

(Member registration opens on Feb 2; Nonmembers on Feb 9)

Nemours Wildlife Foundation, 161 Nemours Plantation Rd, Yemassee, SC 29945.  Special note:  If you register for this Hilton Head Audubon (HHA) field trip to Nemours, you must ALSO register yourself (no additional charge) with Nemours. A link to register with Nemours will be provided after you sign up through HHA.

From their website: Nemours Wildlife Foundation is a private non-profit foundation, whose mission is to facilitate conservation and human well-being in the ACE Basin and beyond through collaborative scientific research, leadership development, management demonstration, and experiential education. Please join Nemours Education Coordinator Heather Kraus & HHA VP Lynn Hodgson for a tour of the Foundation’s property including pine savanna, hardwoods and impoundments originally created for rice cultivation. After a brief introduction at the duPont Conservation Hall, we will pile into their open-air wagon with cushioned bench seating for a driving tour around the property. The tour vehicle allows for many eyes looking in all directions and allows us to keep spotting scopes at the ready. We will stop to dismount, look and listen in key locations. Please do not wander around on your own before or after the tour. But be sure to ask Heather lots of questions!

Directions:  Take I-95 North to exit 33 Charleston/Beaufort, onto Rte 17 east.  OR, take Rte 170 east from Bluffton and Rte 21 north from Beaufort then exit onto Rte 17 at Gardens Corner.   Nemours will be on your right about 5.5 – 6 miles east of Gardens Corner intersection of 17 & 21. After turning into Nemours, follow the signs for the duPont Conservation Hall. The Conservation Hall is the one-story brick building on the left. The Research Building is the two-story building on the left. The Research Building is closed to visitors; please do not enter. People should park cars in the grass opposite the Conservation Hall and Research Building.

Bring the usual: binoculars, water, snack. Dress in layers as it may be chilly on the trailer and will be exposed to the wind.

Tickets for Members/Guests/Nonmembers are $12.00. Capacity of 12 people for this event only. 

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 2/2; Nonmembers on 2/9.)

Experienced Hilton Head Island wildlife photographer, Mary Alice Tartler, will present over 63 species of birds who visit our area during Fall and Spring Migrations.  Learn special techniques in determining the dates of arrival and departure of specific birds and the locations of where you are most likely to find your favorite birds.  Also, learn the identifications, behaviors, and songs that will help you better prepare and increase your chances of spotting these beautiful birds on their journey south via Hilton Head Island.  

Please join Mary Alice for a memorable and informative photography presentation in which you will gain the confidence you need to recognize migrating birds and more fully appreciate our Fall and Spring Migrations on Hilton Head Island.  A field trip to Jarvis Creek Park on Saturday March 15th is included.

For new birders and all birding enthusiasts.

Tickets are $15.00 for members; $25.00 for nonmembers.

This 74 acre multi-use park has ball fields, restrooms, etc, but also some nice wooded trails and a largish meadow. It is perfect for a winter amble relatively protected from the weather, looking for birds. While not spectacular for diversity, we should see most of our resident bird species and possibly some interesting visitors. Ken Adams birds there frequently and can show us all the cool places we might not discover on our own.  Directions: If coming from Sea Pines direction, take Rte 278 toward the Cross-Island Expressway. Just before that, take a right at the stoplight for Arrow Rd. If coming from north island or Bluffton, take the Cross-Island Expressway then left at the first traffic light, Arrow Rd. From either direction, once on Arrow, take a quick left onto Helmsman, then right to 4 Haig Point Rd. Crossings Park is next to the Haig Point ferry parking. Meet in the parking lot by the restrooms. 

Tickets for Members and Nonmembers are $12.00. Limited to 15 people.

(Member registration opens on 2/2; Nonmembers on 2/9.)

Aaron Palmieri, educator for the Palmetto Bluff Conservancy, will lead us on a stroll through Cemetery Loop, located along the edge of the New River in Palmetto Bluff. We will meet at the Conservancy Classroom to board their tour truck, which will take us into areas of Palmetto Bluff rarely visited by us birders, in search of residents, purely migratory species, summer breeders, and winter birds that have not begun their journey northward. 

Directions: The Conservancy Classroom is located in Moreland Village (655 Old Moreland Road, Bluffton). The drive into the property is often longer than what people expect so plan accordingly.  Parking is available along the edge of the facility and in a small parking lot located past the classroom. Restrooms are located at the northern end of the Preserve and near the Conservancy classroom where people are encouraged to park. The seating is a metal bench, so consider bringing a cushion. And dress warmly since it can be very chilly on this open-air ride. 

Tickets for Members/Guests/Nonmembers are $12.00. Capacity is 12 due to limited seating on tour truck.

(Member registration opens on 2/2; Nonmembers on 2/9.)

The scientific data is in! Relief from the daily pressures we face in life is critical to our mental and physical wellbeing. What better way is there to get away from it all than to spend a couple of hours on a woodland amble with the birds? Unlike our usual bird walks which focus on identification, counts and an Ebird list, this “Mindful Bird Walk” , led by Kathy Byrd, will instead encourage us to use all our senses to fully experience the wonder of nature. We will walk slowly and stop often.

Please join us at the historic Coastal Discovery Museum at Honey Horn on Saturday, March 29th at 9:30AM to explore and unwind. We will meet in front of the main museum building, near the parking lot. Restrooms available there.

Tickets for Members/Guests/Nonmembers are $12.00. Capacity is 15 people.

(Member registration opens 3/2; nonmembers on 3/9.)

Join Master Birder Lynn Hodgson for two of our favorite birding locations. We will meet at the Wigeon Point Preserve, 43 Okatie Highway, Okatie, SC, and spend an hour or so. There is an eagle’s nest over the parking lot; a viewing platform by the river, and a trail which meanders past salt marsh and through maritime forest of pines and live oaks. The walk will be about a mile. Port-a-potties near the parking lot.

Then we will get back in our cars and head to the Cypress Wetlands in Port Royal, SC, for another hour or so birding from the boardwalk, which offers close-up views of waterfowl, wading birds, alligators, turtles, and occasional surprises. The walk continues on a trail around the other side of the pond, 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. The Boardwalk is open to the sun & weather, but the trail part is shaded. Dress for the weather, and expect bugs. 

Directions: From Hilton Head / Bluffton, take Rte 170 toward Beaufort. Wigeon Point Preserve is on the right after the bridge over the Chechesee R, and before the bridge over the Broad R. It is just past Lemon Island. It is well marked, but comes up fast, on a fast road, so be alert.

To reach the Cypress Wetlands, we will get back in our cars and continue on Rte 170, across the Broad River bridge, then right on Rte 21. Watch for the veer left to stay on Rte 21 which becomes Ribaut Rd. In Port Royal, look for a Parkers gas station on the right, 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.

Tickets for Members and Nonmembers are $12.00.

Member registration open now!

Bring the whole family for an unforgettable moment with one of nature’s most fascinating creatures— owls! This community event gives you a chance to get up close and personal with these incredible birds with Master-Class falconer, Glen Kansanback. Event is free unless you want to hold an owl on your arm (don’t worry, we’ll have an owl glove!) Ticket to hold an owl must be purchased in advance. One ticket per person.

Member registration open now!

Get up close with the mystical Owl at this captivating talk and reception with several raptor species as special guests. Learn about their behaviors, habitats, and role in nature from Master-Class falconer, Glen Kansanback. Whether you’re a bird enthusiast, animal lover, or curious about these mysterious creatures, this is an afternoon you won’t want to miss!

After the talk, mingle with fellow guests and enjoy drinks and light hors d'oeuvres at our reception and have the opportunity to hold a raptor on your arm.

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 3/2; nonmembers on 3/9.)

Pinckney Island National Wildlife Refuge is a “Happening place” in the birding spring. Many of our waders (herons, egrets, night-herons, ibis) as well as anhingas, grackles, and smaller songbirds breed here. 

Join Master Birder Stephen Dickson in the parking lot, near the trail to Ibis Pond. We will stroll to the pond to view the action. Walking areas around the ponds are mowed for easy (and safe) viewing. Along the way, we will pick up some recent arriving songbirds, such as painted buntings and blue-gray gnatcatchers. We usually continue to Starr Pond, so that our total mileage is about 2 l/2 miles, most of it on a gravel/dirt road or mowed grass. Woodland birds, winter residents, common gallinules, wintering ducks, etc. make this visit a joy any time of year. But it is a really “happening place” for breeding birds from about mid-April through May.

 Optional:  Depending on interest, weather, etc., some of the group may wish to continue through the woods behind Starr to visit Osprey Pond, adding about a mile to the total.

Directions: Pinckney is located between Hilton Head and Bluffton, SC, with entrance on Rte 278 on the Bluffton side of the bridge. This is a dangerous, fast road, so be alert.  There are no restrooms at Pinckney, just convenient woods. Be sure to bring a snack, water, sunblock, bug repellent; dress for the weather (hat, sunglasses?). Remember there are alligators in the ponds (so keep your distance!) and ticks in the woods.

Tickets are $12.00 for Members and nonmembers.

(Member registration opens 3/2; nonmembers on 3/9.)

Join expert birders Jim Asmuth and Chip Walker for a day-long exploration of the various ecosystems of this extraordinary conservation area. We will meet along the entrance road (Webb Ave), within sight of its intersection with Augusta Stage Coach Rd. This entrance road passes through a tunnel of live oaks beside grassland habitat, and is superb habitat for Bachmann’s sparrows, red-cockaded and red-headed woodpeckers.

Note the early start time – 8:00 a.m.  This is so we can listen and look for the endangered Bachmann’s sparrows, which frequently quiet down later in the morning and become hard to find.

Webb Wildlife Management Area covers about 81,000 acres of mixed habitats along the Savannah River. Clearly, we can only scratch the surface. We will do a driving tour, with several stops for birding in hardwood forests, longleaf pine communities, near bald cypress swamps, and at a freshwater rookery. There is a nature trail leading into the Savannah River backwaters, which we will try out; but it is often flooded in spring. Swallow-tailed kites, Prothonotary, Chestnut-sided and Hooded warblers, Blue grosbeaks, Summer tanagers, Yellow-billed cuckoos, Indigo and Painted buntings all live here.

Directions from Hilton Head: Put the address in you navigation device, AND print out the directions, since we sometimes lose service once near Webb.  From HH, take Rte 278 north, across I-95, go left at the next light – Whyte Hardee Blvd.(= Rte 17). In town, take a right on Deerfield Rd (=Rte 321 north). Stick with 321 through a couple of name changes. You will eventually come to a funky and confusing intersection where 3 roads come together. Clyo Rd comes in from the south (don’t take that!). Head due west, crossing the rr tracks on Augusta Stagecoach Rd. Look for the brown binocular signs. Go through Brighton, SC (blink and you will miss it), then look for Webb Ave on the left. Webb is about an hour and a half from Hilton Head. 

There is a small restroom near the sign-in kiosk. FYI: Offices there are only open on weekdays. Bring lunch or snacks, plenty of water, sunblock, insect repellant, and a keen sense of adventure.

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

Please join Master Birder Lynn Hodgson for a hike at the Solomon Tract, a section of the Savannah NWR on the Georgia side of the Savannah River, accessed via Port Wentworth.  This is mostly a shaded walk, through maritime and floodplain forests. If the dike at the end of the walk has been mowed in recent history, we will walk that mile-long loop (it was not mowed last year and impassable). W will return the same way we went in. Total mileage about 2.5 - 3 miles. We will be opportunistic, taking what we get, but expect migrating forest birds as well as the usual floodplain residents. For instance, we have had bobolink flocks, but not always. We often see indigo buntings, but not always, etc. In short, it is an unpredictable but always interesting amble through the woods. This section is not open for most hunting, but is usually open for youth hunts (under 16’s with an adult unarmed supervisor). Therefore, unlike some birding trips, we wear bright colors just in case. The few sleepy young hunters we have met have been heading out about the time we are heading in. They have sometimes given us useful intel on birds down the trail. Bring binoculars, bug repellent, sunscreen, snack and plenty of water. We will go rain or shine unless there is a really nasty storm coming. No facilities after Port Wentworth.

Directions:  About 50 min. drive from Hilton Head, non-stop, depending on traffic.   Head toward Savannah on I-95. Take the first exit in GA, exit 109 at Port Wentworth, Rte 21. Keep Left, through the “miz-maze” intersection, to go back under the freeway. Turn Left onto O’Leary Rd (First traffic light after going under I-95) Follow O’Leary to a right turn onto EMB Blvd (same as EM Industries Blvd.) where there is a small refuge sign. Up ahead the road will split, but stay right - you’ll see another refuge sign. In a short distance, the road ends in a small parking area.

Tickets for Members and nonmembers are $12.00.

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. 

(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.