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 Schedule and Descriptions

Friday, Oct 3
Half-day Morning Half-day Afternoon All-day
Trip 1Hunting Island State Park
Trip 2Combahee Unit
Trip 3Fripp Island
Trip 4Caw Caw Center
Trip 18Nemours Plantation
Trip 6Pinckney Island/Hilton Head
Trip 7Harbor Island
Trip 9Beaufort & Vicinity
Trip 10Combahee Unit (Riverside) WMA
Trip 11Savannah NWR
Trip 28Edisto Unit, ACE Basin
Saturday, Oct 4
Half-day Morning Half-day Afternoon All-day
Trip 14Hunting Island State Park
Trip 15Spring Island
Trip 16Fripp Island
Trip 17Caw Caw Center
Trip 19Cypress Wetlands
Trip 20Coosawhatchie WMA
Trip 21Beaufort & Vicinity
Trip 22Savannah NWR
Trip 24Webb WMA
Trip 25Pinckney Island/Hilton Head
Trip 26Hunting Island Lagoon Kayak Tour ($60 fees) (10 am to 3 pm)
Trip 29Edisto Unit, ACE Basin
Sunday, Oct 5
Half-day Morning
Trip 23Bear Island/Donnelley WMA

Important Notes for Your Trip


Field Trip Descriptions

Trips 1 & 14 Hunting Island State Park
This island is over four miles of beach, thousands of acres of marsh, tidal creeks and maritime forest, a saltwater lagoon and ocean inlet. There is a long fishing pier on the south end of the island. The Hunting Island Lighthouse stands 132.5 feet tall, giving breathtaking views of the Lowcountry marshland, the slash pine/cabbage palmetto/live oak forest, and the Atlantic Ocean. There are admission fees. Bring your state park pass if you have one. Some of the target birds are Painted Buntings, Piping Plovers, rails, tanagers, orioles, pelicans, oystercatchers, skimmers, terns, herons, and egrets.
Approximate travel time:
30 minutes
Facilities:
Restrooms available, at several locations.
Access conditions:
This trip will involve walking up to 4 miles.
Trips 2 & 10 Combahee Unit, ACE Basin NWR
Over 2 miles of walking trails through wetlands, old rice fields, canals and estuaries. ACE is an acronym for Ashepoo, Combahee and Edisto Rivers. The Combahee (pronounced Come-bee) will provide Wood Duck, Mallard, heron, ibis, Osprey, Wood Stork and Bald Eagles.
Approximate travel time:
35 minutes
Facilities:
No restrooms.
Access conditions:
This trip will involve light to moderate walking, on uneven surfaces.
Trips 3 & 16 Fripp Island
Fripp Island is a gated island and is adjacent to Hunting Island. Pied-billed Grebe, Wood Storks, herons, egrets, ibis, Osprey, Red-shouldered Hawks, Caspian & Common Terns, Black Skimmers, and eight warbler species have been seen late September and early October.
Approximate travel time:
45 minutes
Facilities:
Restrooms available.
Access conditions:
A guard and gate at the island entrance.
Trips 4 & 17 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:
60 minutes
Facilities:
Restrooms available.
Access conditions:
$5/person fee to enter the County Park. This trip will involve easy to moderate walking.
Trips 6 & 25 Pinckney Island NWR & Hilton Head
Pinckney Island NWR is a 4,000-acre refuge that was once an early 19th century plantation. The island consists of salt marsh, forestland, brushland, fallow field and freshwater ponds. The great diversity of habitat makes for some great birding. Some of the target birds are waterfowl, shorebirds, wading birds, raptors, migrants and large concentrations of White Ibis, herons, and egrets. Fish Haul Creek Park is a good place to find shorebirds and terns. The target birds for the 0.3-mile boardwalk are Clapper Rail and Seaside Sparrow.
Approximate travel time:
45–50 minutes
Facilities:
No Restrooms.
Access conditions:
This trip will involve moderate walking.
Trip 7 Harbor Island
Nestled between St. Helena and Hunting Islands in Beaufort County, Harbor Island is a 1,400-acre private community on the Harbor River & Johnson Creek. Three small ponds on the island provide a roost for egrets and herons and there is a rather large rookery in the spring. The south side of the island is good for shore birds. Some of the target birds are plovers, oystercatchers, skimmers, wading birds, and terns.
Approximate travel time:
25–30 minutes
Facilities:
No Restrooms.
Access conditions:
This trip will involve easy to light walking.
Trips 9 & 21 Beaufort & Vicinity
Port Royal Boardwalk Park, Broad River, Chechessee River Estuaries (RC) and Cypress Wetlands. Port Royal Boardwalk is 0.2 miles long. It runs through salt-marsh and mud flats and has a tall observation platform. West of Beaufort there is a series of broad tidal estuaries interspersed with salt marshes. Two of these, the Broad and Chechessee Rivers are easily birded from dry land. Some of the target birds are ducks, rails, ibis, gulls, terns, shore birds, herons, egrets, and migrants.
Approximate travel time:
10 minutes
Facilities:
No Restrooms.
Access conditions:
This trip will involve easy to moderate walking.
Trips 11 & 22 Savannah NWR
Savannah NWR consists of over 29,000 acres of freshwater marshes, tidal rivers and creeks and bottomland hardwoods. The refuge provides nesting areas for Wood Ducks, Great Horned Owls, Bald Eagles, Osprey and Swallow-tailed Kites among others. The kites and storks will probably be gone by the end of September. As many as 13 species of duck either live in or migrate through this refuge. Other bird types found here include coots, moorhens, Purple Gallinules, Soras, egrets, herons, and shore birds along with other migrating bird species. This trip basically covers the 5-mile driving tour (Laurel Hill Wildlife Drive) with multiple stops.
Approximate travel time:
50 minutes
Facilities:
No restrooms on Laurel Hill Wildlife Drive. Restrooms are only available at the Visitor Center, which is 4 miles away.
Access conditions:
This trip will involve moderate to heavy walking.
Trip 15 Spring Island
Spring Island, South Carolina, is a fantastic location for birding, particularly due to its diverse habitats and commitment to conservation. The island features a mix of beaches, dunes, salt marshes, and freshwater areas, attracting a wide variety of bird species throughout the year. You can expect to see everything from songbirds and raptors to wading birds and waterfowl.
Trip 18 Nemours Plantation
Nemours Wildlife Foundation, located on Nemours Plantation near Yemassee, South Carolina, is a great place for birding, many opportunities to observe various bird species in diverse habitats. The foundation manages tidal impoundments and pine savannas, which attract a variety of birds, and also cultivates habitats for species like the rails and Red-cockaded Woodpecker.
Trip 19 Cypress Wetlands
Port Royal Cypress Wetlands and Rookery in Port Royal, South Carolina. Its sweeping views of the wetlands and a dedicated wooden amphitheater and boardwalk invite you to begin your exploration. Very easy walking. Over two hundred species of birds have been seen in the Port Royal's Cypress Wetlands!
Trip 20 Coosawhatchie
The Coosawhatchie Wildlife Management Area (WMA) opened on Aug. 1, 2024, and combines three properties into one sprawling natural resources treasure trove that includes mature upland pine woods and rare hardwood bluffs. It includes great Bachman's Sparrow habitat, shrike, Red-headed Woodpecker. Robin Carter wrote about this area 40 years ago!
Approximate travel time:
40 minutes
Facilities:
No Restrooms.
Access conditions:
This trip will involve moderate walking.
Trip 23 Bear Island/Donnelley
Bear Island is a combination of old rice fields and marshes and provides some of the best birding in South Carolina. Some of the target birds are Bald Eagle, Mottled Duck, King Rail, herons, egrets, and shorebirds. If the water levels are low the shorebirds can be in large numbers. This is the only day during this meeting that Bear Island is open to birding. On the drive to Bennett's Point, look for Clapper Rails, Gull-billed, Least and Royal Terns plus Black Skimmers.

Donnelley WMA is 8,000 acres of unique property which is a cross section of the Lowcountry and encompasses a diversity of wetland and upland habitats including: managed rice fields, forested wetland, tidal marsh, agricultural lands and a variety of upland types, including a natural stand of longleaf pine. Some of the target birds here are Black-bellied Whistling-Duck, Anhinga, coot, Purple Gallinule, Sora, herons & egrets. Insect repellent is advisable. This is the only day during this meeting that Donnelley is open to birding.

Approximate travel time:
50 minutes
Facilities:
No Restrooms.
Access conditions:
This trip will involve moderate walking.
Trip 24 Webb WMA
Webb Center, a globally recognized Important Bird Area, comprises 5866 acres. Birds to look for include Least Bittern, Mississippi Kite, Purple Gallinule, Red-headed Woodpecker, Redcockaded Woodpecker, Brown-headed Nuthatch, Bachman's Sparrow, and Painted Bunting.
Trip 26 Hunting Island S.P. Lagoon
Kayak Tour SPECIAL – 10 am to 3 pm – Beaufort Kayak will lead this 2 1/2 hour tour of the lagoon & estuaries near Hunting Island State Park. Paddling will be easy. Barrier island geology will be discussed, and a cast net demonstration will be given. Paddles, PFD and single & tandem kayaks will be provided. Their website: https://coastalexpeditions.com. The Cost of this tour will be $60, payable to the outfitter at the site.
Approximate Travel Time:
35 minutes
Facilities:
Restrooms available.
Trips 28 & 29 Edisto Unit, ACE Basin NWR
The ACE Basin NWR lies in the heart of the ACE Basin, "One of the last great places on Earth." We will bird the Grove Plantation area, in which habitat types are mixed hardwood-pine, bottomland hardwood, longleaf pine, and early successional grasslands/field. This Refuge has over 7000 acres and 10 miles of trails. The location hosts a diversity of waterfowl, wading birds, shorebirds, and passerines. This area is known for Wood Storks, Bald Eagles, other raptors, and the exceptional diversity of migratory land birds.
Approximate travel time:
1 hour
Facilities:
Restrooms at Refuge Office
Access:
Bring sunscreen, insect repellent, snacks, and water as needed. No fee.