About the Club

Mission Statement

The Carolina Bird Club is a non-profit organization that represents and supports the birding community in the Carolinas through its website, publications, meetings, workshops, trips, and partnerships, whose mission is


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The Carolina Bird Club, Inc., is a non-profit educational and scientific association open to anyone interested in the study and conservation of wildlife, particularly birds.

The Club meets each winter, spring, and fall at different locations in the Carolinas. Meeting sites are selected to give participants an opportunity to see many different kinds of birds. Guided field trips and informative programs are combined for an exciting weekend of meeting with people who share an enthusiasm and concern for birds.

The Club offers research grants in avian biology for undergraduate and graduate students, and scholarships for young birders.

The Club publishes two print publications (now also available online). The Chat is a quarterly ornithological journal that contains scientific articles, reports of bird records committees and bird counts, and general field notes on bird sightings. CBC Newsletter is published bimonthly and includes birding articles and information about meetings, field trips, and Club news.

The Club provides this website to all for free.

By becoming a member, you support the activities of the Club, receive reduced registration fee for meetings, can participate in bonus field trips, and receive our publications.

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Field trip info

Welcome to the 2023 Fall Meeting September 28–October 1 in Litchfield Beach, South Carolina!

By Julie Davis and Richard Hayes

The Carolina Bird Club is hosting our 2023 Fall Meeting in Litchfield Beach, South Carolina September 28–October 1 and we are very eager to see what Fall migration has in store for us on the beautiful Grand Strand and Hammock Coast. This is a favorite location for meetings, and we have several field trips planned for our crown jewel for birding, Huntington Beach State Park. We have also tried to branch inland a bit for some of our adventures, seeking to find birds in newly conserved areas along the Black and Pee Dee Rivers.

Friday evening, our own Craig Watson, retired Migratory Bird Biologist at U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Wildlife Program Manager at U.S. Forest Service, and wildlife officer at Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency will present, "First Nesting and Range Expansion of Roseate Spoonbill and Limpkin in South Carolina". He will give the latest information on the first nesting of Roseate Spoonbills and Limpkins in South Carolina, the continued presence and breeding of the species in the state, the range expansion of both species, as well at the current status of the species in the state and what to expect in the future, and what other species may be on the move into South Carolina.

Our Saturday evening speaker is Christy Hand, Wildlife Biologist, Black Rail and Wading Bird Project Leader, South Carolina Department of Natural Resources. She will give us the latest update on the exciting Black Rail project!

As noted in our June newsletter, the meeting venue is in the Litchfield Beach & Golf Resort at 14276 Oceans Highway, Pawley's Island, SC 29585. The special rates that we negotiated for different types of accommodations expire August 15th. These were advertised as follows in the June newsletter:

All members that had reservations last year for Litchfield MUST contact Litchfield and reconfirm their reservations as soon as possible. You MAY still be able to get a similar price after August 15th. You can call or go online to book your accommodation. Call 888-734-8228 or use this URL: litchfieldbeach.com/reservations. In case we are able to get an extension on these rates, the code is carolinabirdclub2023. Now look below to see what we have to offer for our field trips and to make your selections. Come join us as we chase the birds, visit old favorites and find new birding locales, and celebrate the conservation happening here.

Most field trips will meet their leaders in the hotel parking lot, but a few trips will meet the leader at the site. The time on the field trip schedule is the departure time from the parking lot at the hotel. Please check in with your leader 10 minutes before.

Registration: CBC Registration Desk: Location – Litchfield Beach and Golf Resort, Francis Marion Ballroom. Thursday 4:00pm -9:00pm; Friday and Saturday 6:00am -7:45am and 12:00pm -1:30pm. Field Trip sheets will be in the registration room. After picking up your registration packet, please put a check mark by your name on each of your trip sheets, so the trip leaders will know you have checked in for your trip. There will be people available to answer any questions regarding trips. If you are not able to attend a trip, please cross out your name, so someone from the wait list can fill your place.

Departure Times: field trip departure times are for leaving the hotel. Please arrive minimum l0-15 minutes early. For trips meeting their leader in the parking lot, look for the sign with your trip number and let the leader know you are there. We encourage carpooling. Please consider contributing toward gas expenses if you carpool. Trip leader cellphone numbers will be provided. If you cannot go on a trip, make every effort to advise one of the following: trip leader, meeting coordinator, or advise someone who is on the trip so the group doesn't wait for you.

All Day Trips: Please bring a lunch, snacks, water. Many of the sites are remote with no nearby restaurants.

Hotel returns: Morning trips should be back to the hotel by Noon, afternoon and all-day trips by 5:00 PM.