Charleston Field Trip Schedule and Descriptions

Charleston Meeting Field Trip Descriptions

All Day Trips

Trips 1 & 19: Cape Romain National Wildlife Refuge (limited to 15 participants)

Located 20 miles from Charleston and accessed only by boat, Cape Romain NWR’s 66,000-acre ecosystem of barrier islands and saltmarsh habitats extends 22 miles along the coast. This special resource is part of the Carolinian-South Atlantic Biosphere Reserve, being of international significance due to its high conservation value and educational importance. Participants on this trip will explore by boat the saltmarsh estuaries at different tides, seeking out concentrations of migrating shorebirds, marsh wading birds, gulls and terns as well as Clapper Rails, Marsh Wrens, Seaside Sparrows and many other species that comprise the diverse assemblage of birdlife. After exploring the estuaries and marshes, we will then debark for a bit of land birding on Bulls Island where we hope to pick up migrating raptors and songbirds, including warblers, Painted Bunting, and others. Our boat leaves at 9:30 AM and our estimated return is 3:30 PM. This field trip is a special charter through Coastal Expeditions and there is a $40.00/person fee.
Approximate travel distance: 45 minutes to Garris Landing, located at the end of Bulls Island Road near the small village of Awendaw
Facilities: Public restroom at Garris Landing
Access conditions: Some of our time will be spent on open water in a 27-foot boat. At Bulls Island expect easy to moderate walking conditions through loose, possibly muddy soils. Depending on weather, participants should prepare for full sun exposure and carry insect repellent.

Trips 2 & 20: Santee Coastal Reserve and the Santee Delta

Designated an Important Bird Area, Santee Coastal Reserve encompasses 24,000 acres of varied habitat including pine forests, freshwater, brackish and tidal wetlands, and agricultural fields. Look for species typical of longleaf ecosystems including Bachman’s Sparrow and Red-cockaded Woodpecker. Waterfowl, rails, and a variety of marsh wading birds, bitterns, and a number of fall migrants are all possible. Santee Delta is an adjacent 1,700-acre resource containing remnant historic rice fields and bottomland hardwoods. It can be very good for rails and fall migrants.
Approximate travel time: One hour
Facilities: No public restrooms available on site but efforts will be made to stop in McClellanville while en route where snacks and drinks are also available.
Access conditions: Some birding by car, but most by walking on dirt roads and dikes for substantial distances. Participants should be prepared for mosquitoes by wearing appropriate clothing and insect repellent.

Trips 3 & 21: Bear Island Wildlife Management Area

Managed by the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources, Bear Island ranks as one of South Carolina’s top birding destinations. It consists of 17,000 acres in the heart of the ACE Basin, a multi-partnered complex of significant wildlife resources and habitats. It is also an Important Bird Area. Bear Island consists of freshwater ponds, marshes, hardwood forests, pine plantations, and open fields. It is accessed by miles of dikes that offer opportunities to see a variety of birds such as Mottled Duck, birds of prey including Barn Owl, Roseate Spoonbill, Wood Stork, American White Pelican, Least Bittern, American Avocet and others. Depending on conditions, Bear Island can be excellent for migrating shorebirds, and transient songbirds.
Approximate travel time: 1:15
Facilities: No public restrooms available at Bear Island, though a restroom stop will be made at nearby Bennett’s Point. A convenience store here also has a limited selection of snacks and drinks.
Access conditions: We will walk along dikes with some driving on dirt roads. Participants should be prepared for full sun exposure and mosquitoes by wearing appropriate clothing, insect repellent, and sunscreen.

Trips 4 & 22: Edisto Island and Roxbury Park

Edisto Beach State Park offers excellent beach birding and its varied coastal habitats of saltmarshes, estuaries and maritime forests support an impressive array of birds including fall migrants. Roxbury Park is a newly opened 157-acre nature park located along Highway 174 in the town of Meggett. The park has eight distinct ecosystems supporting a diverse assemblage of wildlife and is accessed by a well-maintained system of trails. Participants will also explore the varied wetlands here including tidal marshes, creeks, freshwater and brackish ponds, and swamp lands. We hope to find a variety of wading birds, Wood Stork, Red-headed Woodpecker, Painted and Indigo Buntings, Blue Grosbeak, and a variety of other woodland songbirds. Additional information on Roxbury Park can be found at http://www.roxburypark.org/home.html
Approximate travel time: 1 hour to Edisto Island
Facilities: Public restrooms are available.
Access conditions: Easy to moderate walking. Park entrance fee at Edisto Beach State Park is $5 a person. Participants should be prepared for full sun exposure and mosquitoes by wearing appropriate clothing, insect repellent, and sunscreen

Trips 5 & 23: Tour of Charleston Harbor

This is Charleston birding at its best. Participants will explore such sites as Patriots Point, the Pitt Street Bridge, Fort Moultrie, and a variety of beach access points on Sullivan’s Island including Breach Inlet. Other local birding hotspots will be checked along the way while we visit saltmarshes, beaches, mudflats, live oak forests, and sand dunes. Birds we hope to find include a variety of shorebirds, marsh wading birds, Clapper Rails, gulls, terns, and migrant warblers.
Approximate travel time: 15-30 minutes
Facilities: Restrooms and restaurants available.
Access conditions: This leisurely-paced tour involves relatively easy walking. Participants should be prepared for full sun exposure by wearing appropriate clothing, sunscreen and possibly insect repellent.

Trip 6: Center for Birds of Prey and Francis Marion National Forest

This trip is especially designed with the nature photographer in mind. Participants will enjoy morning birding in the Francis Marion National Forest at such spots as the Sewee Shell Mound, Garris Landing, the Sewee Visitor Center (home of the Red Wolf breeding program) and the famed I’on Swamp. In the afternoon we will make a lunch stop at the Sewee Outpost and then bird the grounds of the Center for Birds of Prey. This world-class facility has a strong educational outreach program and supports important conservation research involving raptors. The Center houses more than 40 species of birds of prey, and participants will observe an educational flight demonstration. There will be plenty of photo opportunities, so be sure to bring your camera.
Approximate travel time: 30 minutes
Facilities: Restrooms and food stops will be available.
Access conditions: The Center for Birds of Prey has a $25/ person fee. This trip involves relatively easy walking. Participants should be prepared for the possibility of mosquitoes by wearing appropriate clothing and bringing insect repellent.

Trip 24: McAlhany Nature Preserve and the Orangeburg Sod Farms

Owned by the Charleston Natural History Society, the McAlhany Nature Preserve consists of diverse habitat types along the Edisto River. Participants will explore an oxbow lake, riverine bottomlands and upland hardwoods, as well as a longleaf pine restoration area. We hope to find a variety of migrant songbirds that are typical of woodland and early successional habitats. Next we will visit the Orangeburg sod farm, well known for its sometimes spectacular shorebird migration. The occasionally-present species of interest include American Golden-Plover, Upland Sandpiper, Buff-breasted Sandpiper and others. In addition we will also search for such local residents as Northern Bobwhite, Common Ground-Dove, Horned Lark and others.
Approximate travel time: 1 hour to McAlhany and then 45 minutes in the afternoon to the sod farms
Facilities: Restrooms and food stops will be available en route.
Access conditions: Easy walking but possibly muddy conditions at McAlhany Nature Preserve. Birding at the sod farms will involve mostly roadside stops but conditions can be muddy.

Half Day Trips

Trips 7, 13, 25 & 31: Folly Beach

Folly Beach offers good birding, particularly during fall migration and winter. Participants will explore both ends of the island and search various coastal habitats including beaches, saltmarshes, live oak forests, and tidal creeks. At certain times, the island can be a magnet for migrating shorebirds and passerines so let’s keep our fingers crossed! It can also be good for butterflies, and we may stop and take a look at a few of these as well.
Approximate travel time: 30 minutes
Facilities: Restrooms available
Access conditions: $7/vehicle parking fee at Folly Beach County Park and an additional parking fee at the Folly Island Pier ($10/vehicle at the pier; $5/vehicle across the street.) This trip will involve easy to moderate walking through loose, sandy soils. Participants should be prepared for full sun conditions by wearing appropriate clothing and sunscreen.

Trips 8, 14, 26 & 32: Caw Caw Nature and History Interpretive Center

Located near Ravenel, this Charleston County Park is situated on land that was once historic rice plantations. The park consists of 1,000 acres of diverse coastal habitats including cypress/ tupelo swamps, a tidal saltmarsh, freshwater and brackish water impoundments, and upland and bottomland forests. The property is accessed by six miles of trails and offers easy and quality birding. Over 250 species of birds have been documented in the park, and we hope to find marsh wading birds, rails, owls, vireos, wrens, migrant warblers, and others.
Approximate travel time: 30 minutes
Facilities: Restrooms available.
Access conditions: $5/person fee to enter the County Park. This trip will involve easy to moderate walking.

Trips 9 & 27: Magnolia Gardens

This historic plantation and beautifully-landscaped gardens contains all types of freshwater habitats, from cypress swamps to old rice fields. Participants can expect to see raptors, marsh birds, and a variety of migrating songbirds, particularly warblers. We will also enjoy great views of birds flying over the Ashley River and hope to encounter early-arriving waterfowl and other species of interest.
Approximate Travel Time: 30 minutes
Facilities: Restrooms and a snack bar will be available
Access conditions: $23/person fee which includes access to the gardens, the Audubon Swamp Garden, and plantation house. This trip will involve easy walking.

Trips 10, 15, 28 & 33: The Audubon Center at Francis Beidler Forest

This Audubon sanctuary contains a portion of what is considered the largest remaining old-growth cypress-tupelo swamp in the world, known as Four Holes Swamp. Participants will experience the majestic wonder of this swampland along a 1.75 mile boardwalk. Birds we hope to find include Yellow-crowned Night-Heron and other wading birds including Wood Stork, a variety of woodpeckers, and migrating songbirds.
Approximate Travel Time: 45 minutes
Facilities: Restrooms available
Access conditions: $10/person fee. This trip involves easy walking on a wooden boardwalk. Participants should be prepared for possible mosquitoes by wearing appropriate clothing and bringing insect repellent.

Trips 11 & 29: Kiawah Island and Beachwalker Park

This special trip will include beach and forest birding and a visit to a bird banding station. While on the beach we hope to find a variety of shorebirds including Marbled Godwit, Whimbrel, and Piping Plover as well as various terns, gulls, and raptors. Participants will also visit a bird banding station, where a variety of migrant passerines may be viewed up close. These may include various warblers, thrushes, flycatchers, vireos, etc.
Approximate travel time: 45 minutes
Facilities: Restrooms are available at parking lot at the beginning and end of the trip. Bring snacks and water.
Access conditions: This trip involves a strenuous one mile walk each way. Participants should be prepared to get their feet wet and for full sun conditions and possible mosquitoes.

Trips 12, 16, 30 and 34: South Tibwin Plantation

Located in the Francis Marion National Forest, just off of US 17, South Tibwin Plantation is a natural haven for birders. Participants will explore mature upland pine forests, hardwoods, and managed impoundments adjacent to tidal marshes. We hope to find a diverse variety of birds including waders, bitterns, birds of prey, rails, migrating shorebirds, and a number of resident and migrant songbirds.
Approximate travel time: 45 minutes
Facilities: Public restrooms not available on site but efforts will be made to stop en route. Bring snacks and water.
Access conditions: Moderate walking and be prepared for possible mosquitoes by wearing appropriate clothing and insect repellent.

Trips 17 and 35: Charles Towne Landing SHS

Located on a point of land near the Ashley River, Charles Towne Landing is the site where a group of English settlers landed in 1670, establishing what would become the birthplace of the Carolina colony. This State Historic Site features excellent coastal habitats including tidal creeks, brackish lagoons, marshes, and hardwood forests. Participants will enjoy searching for a variety of water birds and migrant songbirds, along the self-guided history trails that wind by recreated early colonial structures and grounds, archaeological sites, and beautifully landscaped gardens. Time permitting, we may also visit exhibits located in the visitor center.
Approximate travel time: 10-15 minutes
Facilities: Restrooms available at park
Access conditions: $10/person entrance fee. This trip will involve moderate walking.

Trip 18: New Birder’s Workshop

Designed as an introduction to birding and led by an experienced birder and teacher, participants will visit some of the Charleston Harbor hot spots like Patriot’s Point and Pitt Street Causeway, searching for birds in their natural habitats and focusing on identification techniques and species behavior. Experienced birders are welcome as well since there is great value in sharing group knowledge!
Approximate travel time: 15-30 minutes
Facilities: A restroom stop will be available
Access conditions: Easy walking. Prepare for full sun exposure by wearing appropriate clothing, sunscreen and possibly insect repellent.

Trip 36: The Big (Half) Day Photography Challenge

Birding on your own. Participants will actively seek out and photograph birds. The winner will be the person whoever photographs the most identifiable species during a specified time period. The birds must be ABA countable species and identifiable from photographs. More details will be given at our Friday evening program.
Approximate Travel Time: You decide

The times listed above are when the cars are lined up in the parking lot and leaving. Please be there at least 10 minutes early and identify yourself to the leader. If you decide not to go on a trip, either scratch through your name beforehand on the supplied lists, or show up at the meeting place and tell someone.

All trips depart from hotel in the parking lot. Look for the placard with your trip number. There will be a sheet with all directions for your trips e-mailed to you in advance. Please bring it on each trip as caravans sometimes break down, and, if so, you'll still be able to get to the trip site. Get the leader's cell number before you leave, just in case.

Food for purchase during field trips may be somewhat limited. Accordingly, plan to take snacks and beverages with you, and be sure to pack a lunch for the all day trips.

We try to take as few vehicles as possible on field trips in order to save fuel, make caravanning easier, and to make better use of the limited parking that exists at some stops. Please plan on carpooling, and if you would like to drive and have room for new or old friends, please let your trip leader know when you arrive for your outing.

Please note that the traditional Saturday evening buffet will not be offered in Charleston. A wide variety of dining options from fast/casual to fine dining are available within a short distance from the host hotel.