Classes Archives - South Carolina Wildlife Federation

Day of the Dragon

Join us for an investigation into the exciting natural history of dragonflies and damselflies! These majestic creatures grace our waters on the wing throughout the summer in South Carolina, where we boast over a hundred species that come in all shapes, sizes, and incredible colors.

Goodale State Park, in the heart of the South Carolina Sandhills, is bursting with a bountiful regiment of these regal creatures. During our day, we’ll analyze each part of the dragonfly, from the eyes to legs to the wings to the tail, investigating the related biology of each aspect. We’ll mosey down to the aquatic habitats the dragons call home. This includes a large millpond that hosts a large number of skimmers, pennants, and pond damsels. We’ll also investigate the backwoods, where the running water gives rise to a completely different assemblage of dragons and damsels, to include jewelwings, rubyspots, and several dancer species.

In addition to surveying the sky, we’ll use the dip nets to capture larval dragonflies and damselflies, examining their differences and underwater lifestyles along with the associated biota with which they coexist. Dragonfly life also demands diverse aquatic vegetation, and we’ll discuss several of these plant species and the important strata they form upon the water.

By the end of the day, you’ll be able to:
1. Discuss the connections between form and function of dragonfly anatomy
2. Successfully identify several species of dragonflies and damselflies
3. Understand the variety of ecological requirements needed to support dragonfly life
4. Predict species assemblages associated with particular aquatic habitats

Where: This training will take place at Goodale State Park just outside of Camden, South Carolina. Meet at Picnic Shelter 1. Enter the park and just keep driving. Go past the community building, past the ranger station, and around the bend where dragonflies dwell. The website, which includes directions, can be found by clicking here.

When: Wednesday, June 10. We will meet at 9:00 AM. The day will conclude sometime around 2:00 PM.

Who: This training is open to the public. No prior knowledge is required. Minimum age is 16. For SC Master Naturalists who have not taken a dragonfly course, this event can count as Advanced Training (4.5 training hours) and towards your statewide certification if you need a Sandhills component. If you are not a Master Naturalist, just come have fun with us. Participants will also receive contact info of other participants to allow for carpooling to the park.

This class will be taught by Austin Jenkins, who teaches and facilitates the popular Midlands Master Naturalist class for the South Carolina Wildlife Federation. Jenkins teaches Natural History of South Carolina at USC Sumter.

IMPORTANT: Participants should be in good physical shape. We will be outdoors during the whole class, and it may be HOT. In addition, we will be on our feet most of the day.

Cost: The cost is $75.00 per person.

To ensure a quality experience for all, space is strictly limited to 20 participants. Classes fill quickly, register today! After registration, you will receive an email with lodging recommendations, directions, and any other details pertinent to the class.

Other Important Notes:

Restrooms are available at the park.

Participants should bring a bag lunch and water and be prepared for a day in the field.
There is no rain date for this event. We will make every effort to hold it, even in a few rain showers. If we can’t make it happen due to weather or some other situation, we will refund your money.

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

If available, please bring binoculars and a hand lens. If you have a dragonfly book, bring it, but this is not required or necessary. Otherwise, we will have several copies of field guides so that you can choose one for future studies. Feel free to bring an insect net if you have one. Otherwise, we will have some available.

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.

Featured Image Credit: Amanda’s Pennant by Allison Bugarin.

Banner Image: Eastern Pond Hawk by Allison Bugarin.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.