Events

Please join Master Birders Kathy Byrd and 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, with a mile-long loop in the middle, on an open dike, returning 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 11 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. Any sleepy young hunters will be heading out about the time we are heading in. They have sometimes given us useful intel on birds ahead down the trail.

Bring binoculars, bug repellent, sunscreen, snacks and plenty of water. We will go rain or shine unless there is a really nasty storm coming. No facilities after Port Wentworth. Cost of the field trip is $12.

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.

Photo: Bobolink by Lynn Cleveland

Join us Tuesday, May 14th, 2024 at Jarvis Creek for our annual end of the season picnic, rain or shine! We will start to gather at 4:00 pm. We will conclude by 8 pm. 

Meet and mingle with bird-and-nature-loving members new and old, as well as our Board and many volunteers. Share your sightings, and if you are new to this, glean tips from experienced birders, bird photographers and conservationists.

Friends, family and non-members are welcome to join us.  Please bring a side dish to share. Audubon will provide fried chicken, sodas and eating implements. Jarvis Park is a beautiful setting and has restroom facilities.

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 folding chairs; we have rented a pavilion, but seating is limited. This event cost is $10.00 for adults, $12.50 for non-members, and $5.00 for children under 12. Children under 3 are free. See you there!

Registration is required.

On Tuesday, June 11, 2024, from 11 am – 3 pm, Hilton Head Audubon will host a day at Historic Mitchellville Freedom Park (HMFP)’s weeklong Juneteenth celebration, which will honor their 10th anniversary of celebrating Juneteenth.

Juneteenth is a national holiday to commemorate the emancipation of enslaved people in the United States; the celebration attracts thousands of participants each year with historic commemorations, music, food, and vendors.

Established in 1862 on Hilton Head Island, Mitchelville is the first place in the U.S. where Africans in America, just out of slavery and not yet citizens, governed themselves. The Park is located at 40 Harriet Tubman Way (off of Beach City Road), Hilton Head, S.C. 29926. Website: www. https://exploremitchelville.org/

We are calling our day “Celebrating Naych and B’uhds,” meaning celebrating Nature and Birds, and will be featuring wildlife art, conservation groups, naturalists, live music, family events and food. Our event begins at 11am with a raptor demonstration, followed by music by Calibogue Sound. Audubon birders will give bird tours of Mitchelville. The Boys and Girls Club will showcase and sell their birdhouses. Gullah-Geechee Cuisine and Mother Smoking Good will sell mouth-watering food. Binya, the popular Hilton Head shop, will be on hand selling Gullah and Lowcountry art, accessories, and books. We are continuing to add vendors, so stay tuned!

Hilton Head Audubon will be also distributing copies of its 2023 booklet, “Gullah Geechee of Mitchelville: Cultural Ties to Birds and Nature,” supported by a grant from National Audubon, on the importance of birds and nature in the Gullah Geechee community at the time of the founding of Mitchelville.  

For additional information or sponsorship opportunities, contact HHIAudubon@hiltonheadaudubon.org.