Hilton Head Audubon upcoming events

Field Trip: Beginning Shorebird ID at Fish Haul Beach Park (04/23/2026)

Thu, 23 Apr 2026 13:30:00 GMT

(Member registration opens 3/1; Nonmembers 3/8)

Join Wendy Dickes, member of the shorebird survey team, to work on Shorebird ID. This field trip is best for beginning and intermediate birders wishing to hone basic shorebird identification skills. We will look at bills and feet, observe postures, watch behaviors, discuss plumage changes and migration, etc. We will have at least one spotting scope available, to help everyone see the key features.

Note the unusual time, to allow the tide to ebb from high: Tide tables indicate a high tide around 6:40 a.m. We will set up on the beach, to start searching near the high tide line. Then we will follow the tide out, possibly getting our feet wet and sandy, as do the birds. Afterward, those interested can walk over to the boardwalk toward Barker Field, and the extension over the marsh.

Fish Haul Beach Park (120 Mitchellville Rd, Hilton Head) has restrooms in the parking lot. We will walk in sand as well as hard surfaces, for about l l/2 miles total. Prepare for the weather – it feels cooler than you might expect if it is windy. If the weather is fine, you might elect to bring lunch and picnic on the beach or in the park. Maybe bring a trash bag, since we like to leave a place cleaner than we find it.

Directions: From Rte 278, take Beach City Road. At the intersection with Dillon Rd, turn left. Then look for the first road right, Mitchellville Rd (currently dirt, but the town plans to pave someday…). This will lead you to the Fish Haul Beach Park, on the right.

Member ticket $12.00; Nonmember $14.00

Workshop: Conservation Through Painting (04/25/2026)

Sat, 25 Apr 2026 17:00:00 GMT

(Member registration opens 3/1; Nonmembers 3/8)

Artist Karen Richards leads a hands-on workshop at the SOBA Art School on how to use painting to explore conservation and nature themes. Each participant will create a work of art to take home.

Member ticket $15; Nonmember $25.

Field Trip: Cypress Wetlands with Carlos Chacon (05/02/2026)

Sat, 02 May 2026 13:30:00 GMT

(Member registration opens 4/5; Nonmembers 4/12)

Join Coastal Discovery Museum naturalist Carlos Chacon at the Cypress Wetlands in Port Royal, SC, for an 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, across the Broad River bridge, then right on SC128 / Savannah Highway. Turn Right onto US 21 Route / Parris Island Gateway which becomes Ribaut Rd. Turn Right onto West Paris Avenue, then left onto Paris Avenue. The entrance is across from the Parkers gas station (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.

Field Trip: Webb WMA with Chip Walker (05/09/2026)

Sat, 09 May 2026 12:00:00 GMT

(Member registration opens 4/5; nonmembers 4/12)

Join expert birder 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.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 your navigation device, AND print out the directions, since we sometimes lose service once inside 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 railroad 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 open only on weekdays. Bring lunch or snacks, plenty of water, sunblock, insect repellant, and a keen sense of adventure.

Member tickets $12.00; nonmembers $14.00 Capacity is 15 people.

HH PSD Hilton Head Audubon Certified Bird & Wildlife Habitat Ribbon Cutting and Celebration (05/30/2026)

Sat, 30 May 2026 14:00:00 GMT

Celebrate the opening of Hilton Head Island’s newest community garden, featuring water-efficient native plants that support our local pollinators and birds.

Stop by to discover how easy it is to create a native plant garden in your own backyard — saving water while helping protect the wildlife that makes our island special. Experts from Low Country Master Gardeners and the Audubon Society will be on hand to walk you through ideas you can bring back to your yard.

PROGRAM: Snakes of the Lowcountry (06/11/2026)

Thu, 11 Jun 2026 15:00:00 GMT

Join us for an engaging and eye-opening educational event all about our local snakes! Learn to identify common species in our area—including venomous ones—and understand the important role they play in the ecosystem. We’ll break down how to safely recognize key differences, what snake venom can do to the human body, and—most importantly—what to do (and not do) if you encounter a snake in the wild. FREE event.