Birding Archives - South Carolina Wildlife Federation

Palmetto Pro Birders: Lake Murray Paddle

This class is full! Please add yourself to the waiting list here.

Join Jay Keck, SCWF’s Industry Habitat Manager, for a Pro Birder paddle at a beautiful, secluded cove on the northwest side of Lake Murray. We will kayak under a bridge that is home to hundreds of breeding cliff swallows and will get a great look at their clay nests built directly onto the bridge. It’s one of Jay’s favorite things to see on any of our trips!

On this trip, Jay will focus his efforts on a section of the creek that is below a canopy of river birch, tulip poplars, and Carolina willows. The shade will help us stay comfortable, and being among the trees will place us directly in the breeding habitat of some of the neotropical migrants that call South Carolina home during the summer months.

We will be on the lookout for species such as the belted kingfisher, red-headed woodpecker, yellow-billed cuckoo, and Kentucky warbler. On the fall paddle, we even saw a clapper rail at this location!

This paddle is limited to six guests, so register early to secure your spot.

Where: Prosperity (Crayne’s Landing)

When: Monday, June 11th at 7 am (Rain Date – June 12th.)

Who: This training is open to the public. No prior knowledge is required. Minimum age is 16. This training will count for one day toward Palmetto Pro Birder certification (8 days needed total).

Jay has been a passionate nature and bird lover since his early teens. He lives in Chapin, SC with his wife and two boys, and has identified 95 bird species in his yard in three years, as well as 160 species in Lexington county since moving back in September of 2013. He has viewed birds in Spain, Chile, Honduras, and Costa Rica, as well as many areas in SC from the mountains to the coast. Being inspired by SCWF’s mission, he earned his Palmetto Pro Birder certification, and has led bird walks for SCWF as well as Saluda Shoals park, Columbia Audubon, and private organizations. Even when he is golfing, hunting, or fishing, he is secretly birding. At SCWF, Jay coordinates the Wildlife And Industry Together (WAIT) program as well as leading birding classes for the Palmetto Pro Birder & Midlands Master Naturalist programs.

Other Important Notes:

• If available, please bring binoculars & your favorite field guide to Eastern birds.

• After registering, you will receive important correspondence via email. If you change your email between now and then, make sure to notify us.

Cost: The cost is $100.00 per person and limited to the first 6 people that register.

IMPORTANT: Participants should be in good physical shape for this paddle.

Featured Image Credit: Red-headed woodpecker by Amanda Johnson.

Banner Image Credit: Sad Shad by Brian Fox.

Palmetto Pro Birders: Blue Ridge Parkway

The Parkway is open again!!! We can now resume our annual summer road trip to explore the Blueridge Parkway after talking to USFS staff who confirmed the parkway is open again. Early June is peak breeding season for many of the birds that migrated through SC to the beautiful forests and fields of the Appalachian Mountains. With a higher elevation, the Blue Ridge Mountains of NC are home to many neo-tropical species like the Canada warbler, cerulean warbler, and scarlet tanager during the breeding season. Other birds we only see in the winter, like the brown creeper, winter wren, and the hermit thrush, also breed there and sing their sweet songs, which we don’t get to hear during the non-breeding season.

Along with those spectacular birds, we will also have the chance to see an amazing bird called the red crossbill, a species only found in the Blue Ridge Mountains in our part of the country. Irvin Pitts and Jay Keck will be guiding a group of ten at various lookout spots and parks along the Blue Ridge Mountains. This will be a full day of birding in order to see as many as these special birds as possible while we’re in the mountains. We look forward to seeing you in higher elevations and cooler temperatures this June!

Where: Meet up location is the Blue Ridge Parkway Folk Art Center. (382 Blue Ridge Pkwy, Asheville, NC 28805)

Who: This training is open to the public. No prior knowledge is required. Minimum age is 16. This training will count for one day toward Palmetto Pro Birder certification (8 days needed total). For SC Master Naturalists, this event can count as Advanced Training and towards your statewide certification. If you are not a Pro Birder or Master Naturalist, just come have fun with us. After registration, you will receive an email with directions and any other details pertinent to the class.

When: Monday, June 8th from 7 am until 1 pm. Rain Date is Tuesday, June 9th.

Instructors: This class will be led by Irvin Pitts, SCWF Outdoor Academy Instructor, and Jay Keck, SCWF Industry Habitat Manager.

Irvin retired from a career with the South Carolina State Park Service where he served as Parks Biologist and Chief of Resource Management. Prior to that, he worked at Table Rock and Caesars Head State Parks as park naturalist. Irvin retired from a career with the South Carolina State Park Service where he served as Parks Biologist and Chief of Resource Management. Prior to that, he worked at Table Rock and Caesars Head State Parks as park naturalist.

Jay Keck, SCWF Habitat Education Manager. Jay has been a passionate nature and bird lover since his early teens. He lives in Chapin, SC with his wife and two boys, and has identified 108 bird species in his yard in three years, as well as 187 species in Lexington county since moving back in September of 2013. He has viewed birds in Spain, Chile, Honduras, and Costa Rica, as well as many areas in SC from the mountains to the coast. Being inspired by SCWF’s mission, he earned his Palmetto Pro Birder certification, and has led bird walks for SCWF as well as Saluda Shoals park, Columbia Audubon, and private organizations. Even when he is golfing, hunting, or fishing, he is secretly birding. At SCWF, Jay coordinates the Wildlife And Industry Together (WAIT) program as well as leading birding classes for the Palmetto Pro Birder & Midlands Master Naturalist programs.

Other Important Notes:

• If available, please bring binoculars & your favorite field guide to Eastern birds.

• Restrooms are available, and pink and blue bushes are along the trail…

• Participants should bring water and be prepared for a day in the field.

• The rain date for this event is Tuesday, June 9th.

• After registering, you will receive important correspondence via email. If you change your email between now and then, make sure to notify us.

Cost: The cost is $100.00 per person and limited to the first 10 people that register.

IMPORTANT: Participants should be in good physical shape. Birding involves a lot of standing, and we may cover some distance in our field work.

Thank you to our program sponsors!

Featured Image Credit: Cerulean warbler by Craig Williams.

Palmetto Pro Birders: Tom Yawkey Wildlife Center

This class is full! Please add yourself to the waiting list here.

Spend the day birding and exploring one of South Carolina’s most important coastal conservation areas at the Tom Yawkey Wildlife Center for our ducks & birding day. This immersive field experience highlights the role of managed wetlands, brackish marshes, and longleaf pine forests in supporting waterfowl, migratory birds, and diverse wildlife communities.

This class will be led by Jamie Dozier, wildlife biologist at the Tom Yawkey Wildlife Center. Jamie received a BS and MS in Wildlife and Fisheries Biology from Clemson University and is a Certified Wildlife Biologist with the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources for the past 26 years. He currently serves as Project Leader at the Tom Yawkey Wildlife Center near Georgetown and prior to that he worked as a wildlife biologist with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission and the South Carolina Heritage Trust Program. Jamie also serves on the Clemson University College of Agriculture, Forestry and Life Sciences Alumni Advisory Board, the Career and Technology Advisory Board for the Georgetown County School District, and on the Board of Directors for Georgetown County Farm Bureau.

Participants will travel by pontoon boat across the Intracoastal Waterway and board a bus to visit multiple habitats selected based on seasonal bird activity. Species observed may include ducks, herons, egrets, shorebirds, and woodland birds, depending on conditions and timing.

The trip includes several short walks on a relatively level ground. Please bring binoculars, a bag lunch, and a drink. If you have a scope or camera, feel free to bring those as well. The program runs from 9:45 am to approximately 2:00 pm. Early arrival is encouraged for anyone interested in birding the parking area and adjacent marsh habitats prior to departure.

Where: Tom Yawkey Wildlife Center.

Other Important Notes:

If available, please bring binoculars & your favorite field guide to Eastern birds.
Restrooms are available, and pink and blue bushes are along the trail…
After registering, you will receive important correspondence via email. If you change your email between now and then, make sure to notify us.

Cost: The cost is $75.00 per person and limited to the first 12 people that register.

IMPORTANT: Participants should be in good physical shape. Birding involves a lot of standing, and we may cover some distance in our field work.

PLEASE DO NOT SIGN UP FOR THIS EVENT UNLESS YOU ARE ABSOLUTELY CERTAIN YOU CAN HANDLE THESE CONDITIONS.

SCWF reserves the right to cancel any event, due to unforeseen circumstances, extreme weather, low registration, or guidance from local/state officials. Any cancellation by SCWF will result in a full refund for all registrants.

Banner image credit: Redheads flying by Vance Solseth.

Featured image credit: Northern Shovelers (male and female) by Charles Rucinski.

Palmetto Pro Birders: Winter Waterfowl

This class is full! Please add yourself to the waiting list here.

Join us for a Palmetto Pro Birder in search of winter waterfowl right here in the South Carolina Midlands!

Blue bills, red heads, yellow eyes, and webbed feet, ducks are fascinating and beautiful birds that offer us warm and vibrant colors in an otherwise cold and drab time of year. If you would like to learn more about our wintering and resident waterfowl, come join Industry Habitat Manager, Jay Keck, in search of these beautiful birds at local duck “hotspots” right here in the Midlands. January is peak wintering season for ducks in South Carolina, giving us strong chances to observe species such as ruddy ducks, hooded mergansers, wood ducks, mallards, lesser scaup, and buffleheads. Less common birds seen are canvasbacks, American wigeons, and redheads. We hope to see you there!

Image Credit: Ruddy duck by Cameron Foster.

Featured Image Credit: Male and Female Buffleheads by Vance Solseth.

Banner Image Credit: Redheads flying by Vance Solseth.

Where: Meet at the North End of the Lake Murray dam at 7:30 am, and then we will visit Archer’s Lake and a couple other local hot spots for waterfowl, until about 11:00 am.

Who: This training is open to the public. No prior knowledge is required. Minimum age is 16. This training will count towards the Palmetto Pro Birder certification (8 days needed total).

Cost: The cost is $75.00 per person and limited to the first 10 people that register.

This class will be led by Jay Keck, SCWF Industry Habitat Manager.

Other Important Notes:

If available, please bring binoculars & your favorite field guide to Eastern birds.
After registering, you will receive important correspondence via email. If you change your email between now and then, make sure to notify us.

IMPORTANT: Participants should be in good physical shape. Birding involves a lot of standing, and we may cover some distance in our field work.

PLEASE DO NOT SIGN UP FOR THIS EVENT UNLESS YOU ARE ABSOLUTELY CERTAIN YOU CAN HANDLE THESE CONDITIONS.

Palmetto Pro Birders: Huntington Beach State Park

This class is full! Please add yourself to the waiting list here.

Join us for a day of birding at Huntington Beach State Park, rated as the top eBird hotspot in South Carolina. We will sample the many habitats of the park, including salt marsh, tidal creeks and flats, maritime woods, brackish ponds, and the beach. If tides and conditions permit, we will hike to the jetty (a three-mile round trip). Over the years, a significant number of rarities have been reported at the jetty, including common eider, long-tailed duck, purple sandpiper, black guillemot and others. Our focus will be on wintering birds and we hope to see waterfowl, including scoters, rails, piping plover and other shorebirds, gulls, terns, horned grebe, common loon, red-throated loon, northern gannet and others. We will also seek the park’s many songbirds, placing a special focus on wintering sparrows. In addition, we will discuss the various conservation measures the park has taken and how they impact these coastal birds.

This module will require a significant amount of walking and participants should bring water and a packed lunch. Snack food is available in the park store. A park entrance fee is required.

Where: Huntington Beach State Park. Meet in the state park office parking lot.

This class will be led by Irvin Pitts, SCWF Outdoor Academy Instructor, and Jay Keck, SCWF Industry Habitat Manager.

Other Important Notes:

If available, please bring binoculars & your favorite field guide to Eastern birds.
Restrooms are available, and pink and blue bushes are along the trail…
The rain date for this event is Friday, December 5th.
After registering, you will receive important correspondence via email. If you change your email between now and then, make sure to notify us.

Cost: The cost is $100.00 per person and limited to the first 15 people that register.

IMPORTANT: Participants should be in good physical shape. Birding involves a lot of standing, and we may cover some distance in our field work.

PLEASE DO NOT SIGN UP FOR THIS EVENT UNLESS YOU ARE ABSOLUTELY CERTAIN YOU CAN HANDLE THESE CONDITIONS.

Palmetto Pro Birders: Huntington Beach State Park

Join us for a day of birding at Huntington Beach State Park, rated as the top eBird hotspot in South Carolina. We will sample the many habitats of the park, including salt marsh, tidal creeks and flats, maritime woods, brackish ponds, and the beach. If tides and conditions permit, we will hike to the jetty (a three mile round trip). Over the years, a significant number of rarities have been reported at the jetty, including common eider, long-tailed duck, purple sandpiper, black guillemot and others. Our focus will be on wintering birds and we hope to see waterfowl, including scoters, rails, piping plover and other shorebirds, gulls, terns, horned grebe, common loon, red-throated loon, northern gannet and others. We will also seek the park’s many songbirds, placing a special focus on wintering sparrows. In addition, we will discuss the various conservation measures the park has taken and how they impact these coastal birds.

This module will require a significant amount of walking and participants should bring water and a packed lunch. Snack food is available in the park store. A park entrance fee is required.

Where: Huntington Beach State Park. Meet in the state park office parking lot.

This class will be led by Irvin Pitts, SCWF Outdoor Academy Instructor, and Jay Keck, SCWF Industry Habitat Manager.

Other Important Notes:

If available, please bring binoculars & your favorite field guide to Eastern birds.
Restrooms are available, and pink and blue bushes are along the trail…
The rain date for this event is December 6th.
After registering, you will receive important correspondence via email. If you change your email between now and then, make sure to notify us.

Cost: The cost is $100.00 per person and limited to the first 15 people that register.

IMPORTANT: Participants should be in good physical shape. Birding involves a lot of standing, and we may cover some distance in our field work.

BEFORE REGISTERING FOR THIS EDUCATION EVENT, PLEASE READ THE FOLLOWING TERMS. CLICKING THE LINK AT THE BOTTOM OF THE PAGE TO CONTINUE REGISTRATION INDICATES YOUR AGREEMENT WITH THESE TERMS. PLEASE DO NOT SIGN UP FOR THIS EVENT UNLESS YOU ARE ABSOLUTELY CERTAIN YOU CAN HANDLE THESE CONDITIONS.