Hilton Head’s bird population catches your attention immediately.  Large blue herons and white egrets pose handsomely beside lagoons and marshes.  Dark and spooky anhingas look magnificent as they stretch their wings out to dry, and gulls and sandpipers scold you on the beach.  Both the amateur and the avid birdwatcher quickly recognize Hilton Head as a prime place for birding.

    All species of herons, egrets, and ibises seen in North America are present in the Hilton Head area.  The casual bird lover will see plenty of feathered creatures on almost any guided nature tour.  Guides and naturalists will be able to identify the most common species for you. 

    For more specialized birding, two places on Hilton Head have qualified with the State of South Carolina as “Important Birding Areas”:  Ibis Pond in Pinckney Island Wildlife Refuge and the islands in Lake Mary in Sea Pines Forest Preserve.   Both sites are home to densely populated rookeries in springtime.  Other ideal birding locations are Fish Haul Creek Park at the end of Beach City Road, the Audubon Newhall Preserve on Palmetto Bay Road, and the Whooping Crane Conservancy within Hilton Head Plantation.

    Several endangered species are present on Hilton Head.  Wood storks are abundant in fall and winter along the Broad Creek marshes and on Pinckney Island.  The piping plover, an endangered shorebird, can be found in cooler months on the mud flats at Fish Haul Park at the end of Beach City.  In summer several pairs of painted buntings breed on Pinckney Island.

    Birding is so popular and such an essential part of the Lowcountry that a number of guided tours around the area specialize in bird watching. You can tour on foot or by bike, kayak, or boats ranging in size from large double-deck ships to canopied boats, from large sailboats and catamarans to small Zodiac rafts or Florida flat boats.  Most tours are offered daily year around and are an educational adventure great for all ages. 

    For self-guided birding, the Hilton Head Audubon Society’s Checklist of Birds and Birder’s Guide to Hilton Head Island are available at a small cost at the Coastal Discovery Museum.  The Sea Pines Resort Nature Center carries the Birder’s Guide as well as rents binoculars.  The books are also available at the Audubon Nature Store in Wexford Village and Coligny Plaza, the Port Royal Book Store in Wexford Village, and Wild Birds Unlimited in Festival Center.

    So take your binoculars and camera and head out.  You’ll be rewarded with a spectacular display by our feathery Lowcountry neighbors.

    For more information, see our Ad Directory under Boat Tours.

    Also see “Things To Do” #1, #4, #5, #8 and #60.

Photo by Kelli Baxendale,
courtesy of Outside Hilton Head