Tag Archives: birding hunting beach state park

It’s always a treat to spend time with the Carolinas two largest raptor species, the Bald Eagle and an Osprey.
I spotted these impressive creatures while birding at Huntington Beach State Park in Murrells Inlet SC last week.
Both birds favored perching on the top of the same dead tree along Jetty Drive offering me good views throughout the day.

Though these two shared the same roosting site, as seen in the last few photos of this post Bald Eagles and Ospreys are often seen competing with each other for food.
In fact, I even got to watch a Bald Eagle harassing an Osprey to drop its fish into the ocean.
Once the fish hit the water, the Bald Eagle swooped down to retrieve the Ospreys prize.

Bald Eagles are year round residents of North and South Carolina. They are found across both states from the mountains to the coast and are best spotted near large lakes and rivers. Thanks to conservation efforts, Bald Eagle numbers have been on the rise over the past 20 years so although they aren’t necessarily a common species of bird, your chances of seeing them in the Carolinas are pretty good!

If you’re looking to find an Osprey in the winter, your best bet is to head to the coast of South Carolina as this is the northern boundary of their wintering range.

During the rest of the year, Ospreys are found in both states hunting on rivers, freshwater lakes and ponds as well as in our coastal counties over marshes and along the Atlantic coastline.

Photos by @sally_siko of @birdwatching_nc on the mighty mirrorless monster of a camera, the @canonusa
#R5

Birding Trips and Tours North Carolina, The Adventures of your bird watching Admin

Roseate Spoonbills at Huntington Beach State Park

October 28, 2021 admin

One of the most unique looking birds we’ve got flying around the Carolinas is the Roseate Spoonbill.
With that long flat bill it’s easy to see how these beauties earned their name.
I spotted this one a few weeks ago while birding at the Huntington Beach State Park in Murrells Inlet, SC.

Having a “built-in” spoon on its beak can be a big help at mealtime. Spoonbills take advantage of this adaptation with a special feeding style known as “head-swinging.”
They’ll plunge their bill nearly vertically under water and swing it side to side in wide arcs. In this way, they snag a host of small animals from the lake bottom.
Their diet is made up of small fish, crustaceans (especially shrimp and crayfish), insects, molluscs (such as slugs and snails), and other small aquatic animals.

Roseate Spoonbills are an occasional, transient visitor to NC during the late summer along our southeastern coast. If you’d like to have a better opportunity to see them, your best bet is to take a short trip down to coastal South Carolina where they are found throughout summer and autumn. Some smaller flocks even spend the winter there so it might be worth looking for them in December too.

Photos by @sally_siko of @birdwatching_nc on the mighty @canonusa #R5