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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We Are Going to Columbia, South Carolina For Our Spring 2026 Meeting — April 23–26! By Matt Malin

The Midlands? In the spring? We haven't been in Columbia, SC, capitol city of South Carolina for a meeting since the Fall of 1988, over 35 years ago! Everyone thinks about the coast or the mountains for spring migration. How do the birds get from the coast to the mountains in South Carolina? They utilize the river corridors! We are going to focus on the flood plains and uplands of the surrounding area that converge nearby Columbia. "Soda City" sits at and near the convergence of four rivers—just north of the city, the Saluda and the Broad Rivers merge to form the Congaree River, and the Wateree River joins the Congaree River a little farther downstream to the south of Columbia, before entering Lake Marion. We will plan field trips to visit some familiar birding hotspots—Congaree National Park, Santee National Wildlife Refuge, but also introduce other locations that are more familiar to the locals of Columbia.

We will have a social with cash bar both Friday and Saturday evenings. Dinners will be on your own both evenings with many restaurants nearby to choose from. Friday night we will have a social hour to compare notes from the day's field trips and the status of the spring migration, as well as a speaker. Saturday evening is our annual meeting with elections for open executive board positions after a speaker, and the Spring Meeting Species Countdown. Online registration begins Saturday, March 14th at 2:00 p.m. and closes Sunday, April 12th at noon. Please note that April 12th is the last date for any refunds for CBC registration or dinner cancellations. Also, very important—if you have to cancel, please cancel online or notify the Headquarters Secretary so we can give your field trip space to someone on the waiting list. Walk-in registrations are accepted at the meeting.

All trips will leave from the hotel. Please reserve your room and thank them for their hospitality. CBC greatly appreciates your use of the host hotel.

Hilton Garden Inn-Columbia Airport (110 McSwain Drive, West Columbia, SC 29169) will host our registration, meeting and Saturday night speaker. All trips will leave from the hotel. We have excellent rates ($150.96) for this centrally located hotel. Go directly to https://www.hilton.com/en/attend-my-event/carolinabirdclub2026/ or contact the Hilton Garden Inn-Columbia Airport at 1-803-391-4000 to reserve a room. Be sure to mention the Carolina Bird Club in order to receive the group rate if you call. The cutoff for reservations under the group block will be April 3rd. We will have a good variety of field trips to choose from. Stay tuned as more trip details will be added at the CBC website ahead of registration. Best of all, you will get to discover and bird a new area of South Carolina that is under-birded by many Carolina Bird Club members who are not from the area.

Finally, our trip leaders help the Board both before and during the meeting, so please thank them for a trip that helps you locate, identify and learn the rich bird life in the area. As is becoming the tradition, we will have a traditional raffle as well as the 50/50 raffle. Proceeds will benefit our Young Birders (camp scholarship) Fund. Please consider bringing a bird-related item or two for donation at the meeting to support the raffle. And as many of you that regularly attend our meetings know, we will also have bird books and magazines available for a small donation that will also go to the same fund.

Registration: Look for CBC signs that point to Registration in the lobby at the hotel when you check in, if the registration desk is not immediately visible. April 23th, Thursday 4:00 p.m.–9:00 p.m.; April 24 and 25, Friday and Saturday, 6:45–7:45 a.m. and 12:30–1:30 p.m.

Field Trip sheets will be in the registration room. After picking up your name tag, please put a checkmark 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 take your place.

Departure Times: The field trip departure times are for leaving the hotel. Please arrive minimum 10–15 minutes early. 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 cell phone 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, and water. Some of the sites may be remote with no nearby restaurants.

Bug Repellent, Sunscreen and Sun Hats: It will be spring in the Southeast and you will be walking through vegetation near water–don't forget these!

Hotel Returns: Morning trips should be back to the hotel by noon; afternoon and all-day trips by 5:00 p.m.