Lowcountry Gardeners, turn your garden into a Certified Bird and Wildlife Friendly Habitat!

Creating a Bird and Wildlife Friendly Habitat supports local birds, pollinators and other wildlife in your garden – and it’s easier than you may think! Hilton Head Audubon is here to guide you through the process of designing a sustainable habitat for these creatures. This certification program has been created specifically for the South Carolina Lowcountry. 

A cornerstone of our program is the use of Native Plants. We are thrilled to be partnering with The Green Thumb as our Native Plant Resource center. Check out their native plant selection as you are planning your garden. 

If you are new to gardening or have questions about creating a garden, our partners at Lowcountry Master Gardeners are here to help through workshops and their Rent a Master Gardener Program.

After your habitat is complete, you can apply to have your garden officially recognized as a Certified Bird and Wildlife Friendly Habitat, and we’ll send you a Certified Bird and Wildlife Friendly Habitat sign to proudly display in your garden. The $25 certification fee covers the application and sign purchase, and directly supports Hilton Head Audubon initiatives.

• Add a wildlife water feature, like a bird bath or fountain.
• Plan your garden so that there is habitat for birds in every season.
• Add native plants to provide a good source of habitat and food for birds. A variety of plants will ensure food all year long. We have partnered with the The Green Thumb as our Native Plant Resource center. Visit their Certified Bird and Wildlife Habitat to learn how to incorporate natives in your garden. 
• Tuck in bird or bat nest boxes (for native species of course).
• Create other nesting habitats — a platform for osprey, swallow condos, boxes for cavity nesters, etc.
• Attract pollinators and beneficial insects by including a native wildflower meadow, rock piles, bundles of branches, a mason bee house, etc.  Add an apiary.
• Experiment with creative ways to reduce window collisions.
• Keep your kitty indoors, or in a cool “catio.”

• Include three to five different levels of vegetation (because “vertical diversity” will shelter more climate-stressed species).
• Limit or exclude exotic plants (because climate-stressed birds will be searching for a native buffet). Plants like the Chinese privet, Oriental bittersweet, or Nandina are examples of non-native plants that birds will be drawn to but won’t be good for them to feed on the plant’s berries.
• Add at least one canopy tree taller than 30 feet (because it’s not getting any cooler).