Litchfield Beach Field Trip Schedule and Descriptions

All meeting places for field Trips are in the parking lot of Litchfield Beach and Golf Resort unless otherwise noted. Please be at the meeting place ten minutes early. Times are departure times, and late arrivals will be left. Carpooling is a necessity for all Trips and please remember to reimburse drivers for their gasoline expenses.

Please Note: Trips may change based on leader availability, location alterations and birds etc.

Litchfield Beach Meeting Field Trip Descriptions

Trips 1 (Fri 6:45am) & 17 (Sat 6:45am): Bulls Island

Bulls Island is a full day boat Trip for $45 per person. The fee will be collected on board the ferry. They will take cash, check, or credit card. (Bring lunch and water). We'll be walking on the island all day. The pearl of Cape Romain National Wildlife Refuge, Bulls 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. We have arranged for the ferry to land at the island's north end to reduce the long walk from the regular land- ing. Here we will look at the massive shorebird roost at high tide, scope the ocean for interesting birds and then check out Jack's Creek impoundment.

Limit 20 on Friday/ 30 on Saturday.
Travel Time: 90 minutes
Facilities: None
Access conditions: Walking all day on island and to and from boat Trips

Trips 2 (Fri 7:15am) & 18 (Sat 7:15am): Huntington Beach State Park

($5 per person entrance fee to the park.) This Trip will cover the jetty at the Huntington Beach State Park, together with the nearby tidal creeks and flats, plus the causeway, Mullet Pond, the education center, salt marsh boardwalk and Sandpiper Pond. The jetty is one of best places in the state to find rarities. The main drawback to visiting the jetty is that it is nearly a 3 mile walk round Trip along the beach from the north parking lot. Bring water and lunch. Some food is available in the park store.

Limit: 16
Travel Time: 15 minutes
Facilities: Yes
Access conditions: Walking all day

Trips 3 (Fri 6:45am) & 19 (Sat 6:45am): Santee Coastal Reserve Extended

This is a new tour of the Santee Coastal Reserve. It will encompass some areas not normally explored. We will cover acres of former rice fields, river frontage along the South Santee River, magnificent Cypress-Tupelo swamp, upland fields and mixed forest. Expect lots of waterfowl and wading birds, hawks, American White Pelicans, Wood Storks, probable rails, sparrows, raptors, Red-cockaded Woodpeckers, Barn Owls if we are lucky, plenty of Bald Eagles with chances for Golden Eagle.

Limit: 16
Travel Time: 90 minutes
Facilities: None
Access conditions: Moderate walking all day, buggy

Trips 4 (Fri 6:30am) & 20 (Sat 6:30am): Santee Coastal Reserve and Santee Delta

Our tour of the Santee Coastal Reserve's and Santee delta will cover the mainland area including rice fields, river frontage along the South Santee River, magnificent Cypress-Tupelo swamp, upland fields and mixed forest. Expect some waterfowl and wading birds, hawks, American White Pelicans, Wood Storks, probable rails, sparrows, raptors, Red-cockaded Woodpeckers and migrating warblers. We may even find some Owls if we are lucky, plenty of Bald Eagles with chances for Golden Eagle.

Limit: 16
Travel Time: 90 minutes
Facilities: None
Access conditions: Moderate walking all day, buggy

Trips 5 (Fri 8:00am) & 21 (Sat 8:00am): Tom Yawkey Wildlife Center

This area is a SC Heritage Preserve and administered by the Department of Natural Resources. Public access can be rather limited, so we are excited to offer two full day Trips to this fantastic birding area just 20 minutes from Georgetown. Target birds include American Avocet, American White Pelican, Barn Owl, early waterfowl, shorebirds, rails, raptors, Red-cockaded Woodpeckers, warblers, sparrows and more! Observation towers provide a panoramic view of the south Santee River Delta and surrounding area. This Trip seems to be the one to get it all, in one long day! Bring food and water.

Limit: 13
Travel Time: 60 minutes
Facilities: Yes
Access conditions: ferry over to island

Trip 6 (Fri 6:30am): Waties Island

Waties Island is one of the last undeveloped barrier islands on the S.C. coast. A true oasis in comparison to the Grand Strand. Saved for generations by one family, Waties is now preserved by a conservation easement and is host to research projects by the faculty and students of Coastal Carolina University. Bring food and water.

Limit: 20
Travel Time: 60 minutes will bus from hotel
Facilities: None Trip Descriptions Continued P. 4

Trips 7(Fri 7:00am) & 22 (Sat 7:15am): Lake Busbee and Conway Treatment Plant

This Trip offers diverse habitat so we can expect some early waterfowl, migrants, rails, herons, egrets and birds of prey.

Limit: 16
Travel time: 30 minutes
Facilities: Yes

Trip 8 (Fri 7:15am): Samworth WMA and Dirleton Plantation

This 1500 acre tract is primarily freshwater marsh and impoundments with some longleaf pines and open fields. We will look for rails including King, Clapper and Sora, Woodpeckers, Brown-headed Nuthatches, sparrows, and migrating warblers.

Limit: 16
Travel Time: 45 minutes
Facilities: Limited
Access conditions: Moderate walking

Trips 9 (Fri 7:45am) & 15 (Fri 1:25pm): New Birder Workshop

($5 per person state park fee). This is for those new to birding or those who just want a refresher. You will visit Huntington Beach State Park looking and listening for birds in a variety of habitats and observing behavior with a focus on identification techniques. This Trip will be led by one of the premier birders in the Carolinas.

Limit: 16
Travel Time:15 minutes
Facilities: Yes
Access conditions: Moderate walking

Trips 10 (Fri 7:00am), 16 (Fri 1:00pm) & 24 (Sat 7:00am): South Tibwin Plantation

In the 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. These impoundments are where we hope to find a variety of waterfowl, shore birds, rails, bitterns, etc. Warblers, flycatchers, wrens, and birds of prey are also possible.

Limit: 16 (Please carpool)
Travel Time: 60 minutes
Facilities: None
Access conditions: 3 miles of walking

Trips 11 (Fri 7:15am) & 25 (Sat 7:30am): Myrtle Beach State Park

( $5 per person entrance fee.) We begin at the pier scanning for grebes, gulls terns, and migrating shorebirds, etc. The pier also has restrooms, coffee, snacks etc. Then we will bird the maritime forest and ponds which may yield migrating warblers plus Blue-headed Vireo, Yellow-throated Warbler, Black-and-White Warbler and other passerines. The pond may have wading birds and early ducks. We will look for bittern, rails and sparrows.

Limit: 16
Travel Time: 20 minutes
Facilities: Yes
Access conditions: Moderate walking

Trip 12 (Fri 1:30pm): Shorebird Workshop

The classroom workshop will focus on key characteristics which help birders on all levels quickly and confidently identify a species. We will cover all families of shorebirds, but our primary focus will be Charadriidae (plovers) and Scolopacidae (sandpipers). Modes of identification with which we will practice include size/shape, behaviors, and habitat.

In the field at Huntington Beach State Park: This park can offer ideal foraging habitats for many resident and migratory shorebird species. It provides a great opportunity to focus on silhouette and foraging behavior identification. Some of the target species will be American Avocet, Black-bellied Plover, Yellowlegs, Marbled Godwit, Western Sandpiper and the Least Sandpiper. Willet, Dunlin, Wilson's Snipe, Sanderling, Dowitcher and Whimbrel are all other species we may encounter.

Limit: 16 for field Trip
Travel Time: 30 minutes
Facilities: Yes
Access conditions: This Trip will involve moderate walking on sandy terrains.

Trips 13 (Fri 1:10pm) & 28 (Sat 1:15pm): Huntington Beach State Park Jetty

($5 per person entrance fee.) These afternoon trips will be to the jetty and the nearby tidal creeks and flats. The jetty is one of best places in the state to find migrating shorebirds. It is nearly a 3-mile round trip walk to the jetty.

Limit: 16
Travel Time: 15 minutes
Facilities: Yes
Access conditions: 3 miles of walking on beach.

Trips 14 (Fri 1:20pm) & 30 (Sat 1:15pm): Huntington Beach State Park Trails

($5 per person entrance fee). Even if you don't go out to the jetty, a Trip to "HBSP" can yield great birding and photographic opportunities. This Trip will cover the causeway, Mullet Pond, the Education Center feeders, salt marsh boardwalk and an overlook on the marshy end of Sandpiper Pond (good for rails and bitterns). This Trip will also visit the beach briefly, but will not make the trek to the jetty. Shorebirds, rails, wading birds, hawks, migrating warblers, owls and falcons.

Limit: 16
Travel Time: 15 minutes
Facilities: Yes
Access conditions: Moderate walking

Trip 23 For Young Birders (Sat 8:00am): Huntington Beach State Park

This trip to HBSP will be led by one or two of our young birders. While the leaders will be young the participants can be of any age.

Limit: 16
Travel Time: 15 minutes
Facilities: Yes
Access conditions: Moderate walking

Trip 26 (Sat 7:45am): Sandy Island

(Discounted fee of $45 per person) This is a Kayak trip to Sandy Island hosted by Black River Outdoors. Sandy Island is an unincorporated community located between the Pee Dee and Waccamaw Rivers. The community was founded by a freed slave and is still inhabited by some of his descendants. It is the largest undeveloped freshwater island on the east coast and hosts a variety of species the highlight being the Red-cockaded Woodpecker.

Limit: 16
Travel Time: 30 minutes
Facilities: ?
Access conditions: Paddling, and moderate walking

Trip 27 (Sat 1:30pm): Pawleys Island South End

This trip offers ocean front, inlet and marsh birding. It is a good birding spot especially for those who do not want to make the long trek to the Jetty at HBSP.

Limit: 16
Travel Time: 15 minutes
Facilities: None
Access conditions: Walking on beach

Trips 29 (Sat 1:00pm): South Litchfield Beach

Located near our hotel, this beach is south of HBSP. Along the causeway leading to the beach is one of the best places to find rails. From the parking lot there is a 1.3 mile walk along the beach where we may see a variety of shorebirds. On the western side of the island we may find plovers, skimmers, and sandpipers.

Limit: 16
Travel Time: 15 minutes
Facilities: None
Access conditions: Walking on beach