Charleston Field Trip Descriptions

Trips 1, 20. (All day, Fri, Sat)

Bull's Island Trip A. The pearl of Cape Romain National Wildlife Refuge, Bull's Island offers mud banks, saltwater marshes, beaches, freshwater impoundments, ponds, and upland habitats. This place is on anybody's list of the top five birding spots in South Carolina. The species list starts at the beginning of the field guide and goes all the way to the end, with alligators and seashells thrown in for good measure. Bring lunch and water as we'll be walking on the island all day. Cost: $30 for the ferry ride. Limit 20, but we can add a 7:30 am departure if we need to.

Trips 2, 21. (All day, Fri, Sat)

Bull's Island Trip B. Same island, same $30, still all day, but less walking. We'll split up once we get to the island. Limit 18, but we can add a 7:30 am departure if we need to.

Trips 3, 22. (All day, Fri, Sat)

Bear Island and Donnelly Wildlife Management Areas. Many people's favorite spot in the ACE Basin, Bear Island and Donnelly offer freshwater ponds, hardwood forests, pine plantations, and open fields. They're about 45 miles south of the hotel. If you need a Bald Eagle for your life list, this is the place.

Trips 4, 23. (All day, Fri, Sat)

Magnolia Gardens all-day. This old plantation provides all forms of freshwater habitats, from cypress swamps to an old rice field. Expect raptors, warblers, great views of birds flying over the Ashley River, and hope for some early ducks. Wonderful snack bar and picnic grounds. Our very own Fernanda Hastie is letting us in at a discounted rate of $9.50/person. This includes access to the gardens, the Audubon Swamp Garden, and the house. Tell them you're with CBC to receive the discounted rate all weekend.

Trip 5. (All day, Fri)

Charleston County Big Day Competition. Sign up your 2-person team in advance by registering with Bob Wood at wood@rtt-law.com and getting a copy of our special rules (which will generally follow ABA Big Day Rules). In case you had any questions about it, departure is on your own, departure time is 12:01 am (or later), and the trip ends at 8 pm (or earlier). This trip will not repeat on Saturday.

Trips 6, 16, 24, 33. (Half day, Fri, Sat, AM, PM)

Folly Island and James Island. Habitats include beaches, salt marshes, live oak forests, and tidal creeks. These islands are magnets for fall migrants.

Trips 7, 14, 25, 31. (Half day, Fri, Sat, AM, PM)

I'On Swamp, Francis Marion National Forest, and International Center for Birds of Prey. Again, loads of habitat diversity, and just down the road from the hotel. We probably won't hit the Center in afternoon trips. Lots of back-roads birding and not too much walking. Heck, if birders in Arkansas can find a woodpecker that many thought was extinct, just imagine what Carolina birders can do to a warbler seen as recently as the 1960s!

Trips 8, 15, 26, 32. (Half day, Fri, Sat, AM, PM)

East Cooper. We'll bird Patriots Point, Fort Moultrie, Pitt Street Bridge, and Breech Inlet. Habitats include salt marshes, beach, mud flats, live oak forests, and sand dunes. Birds include shorebirds, wading birds, rails, gulls, terns, warblers, and, if we are living right, even more warblers. Expect to run into the Big-Dayers on Friday morning, because they know this is where to go to get the most birds for the birding hour. Very little walking, too.

Trips 9, 28. (Half day, Fri, Sat, AM)

Dill Plantation. This is where South Carolina General Field Notes editor Will Post likes to set up his mist nets, so expect warblers. But there are two wonderful ponds as well and lots of great old-farm habitat.

Trips 10, 12, 29, 34. (Half day, Fri, Sat, AM, PM)

Caw Caw Regional Park. Includes 650 acres of forest, rice fields, and freshwater. Easy, quality birding, similar to Magnolia Gardens, with more dikes, but fewer woodland trails. You might recognize Perry Nugent's weekly reports from Carolinabirds. $5 admission.

Trips 11, 13, 30, 35. (Half day, Fri, Sat, AM, PM)

Magnolia Gardens half-day. (See trip 4 and 23 description.)

Trip 17. (All day, Sat)

Head Boat Birding. We're still working on this one. $30. Limit 8.

Trip 18. (All day, Sat)

Island Excursion. Nathan Dias will line up some boats and drivers for a half-day trip to a nearby island. He'll select the island depending on the weather, but he's hoping for Bird Key Stono or Morris Island. Limited space. Cost dependent on boat availability, but probably $30 or less.

Trip 19. (All day, Sat)

Kiawah Island. Some say this is where God goes for vacation. We don't know about that, but this is some of the most expensive real estate in South Carolina. And the birds like it, too. Beaches and hardwood and pine forests are the main attractions here, so expect wading birds, shorebirds, and warblers.

Trip 27. (Half day, Fri AM)

South Tibwin. A special part of Francis Marion National Forest, the parking lot is right off of US 17. We'll walk through mature pine forest to medium-sized impoundments that will remind you of the wooded portions of Donnelly WMA. Warblers and wading birds should be the order of the day.

Trip 36.

Sunday Morning Hot Spots. TBA **Some trips and plans may change depending on conditions and bird patterns.