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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CBC Bonus Trip to:
Longleaf Pine Savannahs of the North Carolina Sandhills

June 3&4, 2023

With Susan Campbell and Steve Shultz

Join us for a quick weekend getaway to the Sandhills Game Land and the Weymouth Woods Sandhills Nature preserve outside of Southern Pines, NC.  We’ll explore the diverse 58,000 acre Sandhills Preserve and fire-managed 930 acre Weymouth Woods, focusing on pine savannah specialist birds such as Northern Bobwhite, Bachman’s Sparrow, and the federally-endangered Red-cockaded Woodpecker, to name a few.  Spring migration will be underway and we will be on the lookout for any northbound migrants as well, anything and everything from warblers, tanagers, buntings and more.

Longleaf pine forest once stretched from the Carolinas to eastern Texas but today only three percent remains. The focus of this trip is one of the best examples of this now rare habitat.  Managed with carefully prescribed burns and the thinning of trees, the Sandhills Game Lands area boasts some of the world’s most diverse plant communities (up to 40 species per square meter!) and some of North America’s rarest birds. The oldest longleaf pine tree in the world is found in Weymouth Woods.

We will attend nature programs with the Weymouth Woods’ rangers, visit a banding station, and explore the forest with a focus on pine savannah specialists.

If you’ve never spent time birding in this part of NC then you are certainly missing out – it’s one of the most beautiful and unique places in the state!

A few of the birds we hope to see:​ Bachman’s Sparrow, Red-Cockaded Woodpecker, Chuck-Wills-Widow, Common Nighthawk, Mississippi Kite, Loggerhead Shrike, Prairie Warbler, Kentucky Warbler, Northern Bobwhite, Red-headed Woodpecker, Summer Tanager, and a whole lot more!

Itinerary in Brief:

Saturday, June 3 – Meet at Weymouth Woods Sandhills Nature Preserve

Our first couple of hours birding in the area will give us a nice introduction to these special habitats and the birds that reside here. If we miss Red-cockadeds this morning, we’ll have other chances in the evening and in the next 2 days.

Sunday, June 4 – Sandhills Game Land

We expect to encounter more Red-cockadeds and Bachman’s Sparrows as we drive through acres of restored Longleaf Pine managed by the NC Wildlife Resources Commission less than an hour south of Southern Pines.  We should also have a good chance of finding local Northern Bobwhite, Common Nighthawk, Loggerhead Shrike and maybe even a Lark Sparrow.  Additionally, the group will visit McKinney Lake to tick some bottomland forest Passerines and a few wetland species.  If time permits, we will make a stop in an agricultural area known to produce Mississippi Kites.

Logistics:

The fee for this field trip is $75 and advance registration is required. Participation is limited to 8.  Participants are responsible for lodging and meals.  Detailed information including directions, lodging choices, dining opportunities and more will be provided to registrants.  We will attempt to carpool in order to reduce the number of vehicles caravanning to the birding sites.  Spotting scopes are useful if you have one.  Dress for the weather.  Mosquito repellant may be useful. 

To register for this field trip contact Steve Shultz sshultz at nc.rr.com or (919) 629-7226.  Upon confirmation of your slot on the trip you will be sent a registration form/waiver that can be submitted with your trip fee.