Tag Archives: south carolina bird watching tour

Birding Trips and Birdwatching Tours in SC

Quality time photographing an Anhinga at Huntington Beach State Park

By Sally Siko

Nicknamed the snake bird, some people think that Anhingas aren’t the most attractive species but I think they are beautiful!
It’s that turquoise color around their eyes and the combination of warm brown and black plumage which is pleasing to my artistic senses.
Truly they possess a unique look in the avian world.



Anhingas are actually a species that is on the increase here in the Carolinas. They favor habitats containing freshwater with cypress trees and are most often spotted hunting for a meal in swamps, ponds and lakes in the coastal plain and in the eastern Piedmont regions.

As you may have guessed, Anhingas eat a wide range of aquatic creatures such as fish, crayfish, small invertebrates, insects, and frogs.Masters of underwater hunting expeditions, they are super entertaining to watch wrangling a meal.In fact, they’ve evolved with some unique ways to hunt underwater more efficiently.For one, they lack the water proofing oils found in duck species. Since (surprisingly) they’re not the strongest swimmers, they become waterlogged once their feathers become saturated. This added weight allows the Anhinga to dive deeper than it could if it was waterproof.Another specialized feature of the Anhinga is that they do not have nostrils. This adaptation means they’ve got no worries about accidentally breathing in water while hunting below the surface.

I think that it’s neat that a bird that looks like it belongs in the Jurassic Period would actually be the one species which is holding the latest in cutting edge freshwater hunting physiology, lol!

Photos and video by @sally_siko of @bestlife_birding on my mighty mirrorless monster, the @canonusa #R5

Biridng Trips and Tours in SC

A Piping Plover encounter in Murrells Inlet, SC

By Sally Siko

Here’s a cute little bird that I was excited to add to my list, the Piping Plover!
I spotted him last week while on a birding trip to Huntington Beach State Park in Murrells Inlet South Carolina.
It was exciting to finally lay eyes on this charming little feathered gem for the first time. Watching him scramble up and down the beach on tiny legs moving at what appeared to be a zillion mph made me smile.



The Piping Plover is one of the few Federally listed birds in the Carolinas.
The Atlantic coast population is Federally Threatened, whereas the interior breeding population is Federally Endangered.
Interestingly, North Carolina is the only state on the Atlantic coast where the breeding range overlaps with the wintering range. Color-banding of birds on the breeding ground has shown that most of the birds that winter in NC are Atlantic coast birds; however, some wintering birds are from the interior population.
Thus, it is basically correct saying that the Piping Plover is Federally Threatened in North Carolina, but that some “Endangered” birds do spend the winter in the Tarheel State, as well.



Here in South Carolina, your best chance at spotting a Piping Plover is from late November through late February/ early March near the entrance onto the North Beach rock jetty.
They are easily distinguishable from a look alike species, the Semipalmated Plover by their characteristic light gray plumage.
Look for these small, gray and white birds dashing across the beach along the edge of the tide as they hunt for a meal of small invertebrates in the wet sand.
Aren’t they lovely?

Photos by @sally_siko of @bestlife_birding on my mighty 50MP monster, the @canonusa #5Ds

Birding Trips and Tours North Carolina

A Saltmarsh Sparrow at Huntington Beach State Park, SC

By Sally Siko

One of the birds I was excited to find last week while visiting Huntington Beach State Park in South Carolina was this Saltmarsh Sparrow.
I’d never seen one before so it was awesome to finally see and photograph these cute little bird up close while sitting on the jetty.



One of the more interesting things I’ve learned about Saltmarsh Sparrows regards their unusual breeding system. Unlike most songbirds, the males do not defend territories, rather they move around large areas of a marsh, singing to attract females. Both sexes are promiscuous, and no pairs are formed; males take no part in caring for the eggs or young.



The range of a Saltmarsh Sparrow extends from Maine down to Florida on the east coast of the United States.
Here in the Carolinas they are best found in our coastal areas during the winter months.
They can be tough to spot though since they tend to hide in the tallest grass. That being said, they do respond well to pishing techniques and will occasionally pop out of the grass to offer a quick look before diving back down into the grass.
The best time to try and find one of these little feathered gems is during periods of high tide, when they are forced off of the mud flats to perch on the grass itself.

Generally I’m pleased with these first sighting photos but I’m eager to return to Huntington Beach State Park to lead my next tour there at the end of January.
Lol I guess I’m never satisfied so I’d like another crack at getting some better shots.

Photos by @sally_siko of @bestlife_birding on my mighty 50MP monster, the @canonusa #5Ds

Birding Trips and Birdwatching Tours in SC

Seaside Sparrow sighting in Murrells Inlet SC

By Sally Siko

Though they’re not the flashiest of species, I always enjoy seeing Seaside Sparrows whenever I go birding along the coast.
With those long legs, these little guys are perfectly suited for a life hunting for a meal in and along the shallow marsh waters.



In North Carolina, it is found throughout the year in our coastal/tidal marshes, though they do seem to shift their habitat, preferences in the spring and winter months.
Because salt marshes tend have shifting tidal amplitudes, Seaside Sparrows avoid nesting in such sites.
Instead they choose to breed in brackish marshes, both along the coast and at locally around the inner portions of Pamlico Sound and the tidal creeks entering into it.
From fall to spring, birds move into richer salt marshes, though they also winter in brackish marshes as well.



Photographing Seaside Sparrows is moderately difficult task as they usually stay hidden in dense marsh grass.
There it will search for spiders, seeds, marine invertebrates and insects in the dirt and mud and on nearby plants.
I got in a few lucky shots when this one popped up from the reeds to look for a meal on the mudflats.
Isn’t he sweet?

Photos by @sally_siko of @bestlife_birding on my beloved full frame 50MP beast, the mighty @canonusa #5Ds

Birding Trips and Birdwatching Tours in SC, Field Notes

Wood Storks in Murrells Inlet SC

By Sally Siko

Of all the species of birds to be found at the Huntington Beach State Park in S.C., few capture the attention of visitors more than the Wood Stork.
In addition to their *ahem* unique appearance, these birds are incredibly interesting to watch hunting for a snack on the mudflats.



While observing this large flock in action, honestly it was tough to choose which bird to photograph at any given time.
With so much going on, I managed to photograph a nice series of pics of one trying to eat a Blue Crab which was pretty cool!The bird would hold the crab in its mouth and shake its head, crunching down on the crabs shell. One by one the crabs legs popped off until only the cephalothorax remained.Then the Stork swallowed the crab whole in one gulp without so much as a pinch of Old Bay seasoning or melted butter to wash it down with lol!



Wood Storks are best found in the eastern counties of the Carolinas from June through September. Our largest species of wader, they prefer to hunt for a meal in swamps, freshwater marshes and in shallow ponds.Wood Storks are very particular about the depth of water that they’ll hunt for a meal in.Preferring no more than a foot of water to rise up their legs, the flock actually waited until low tide before finally coming down from out of the trees to hunt in the rapidly draining marsh below.
Pretty neat, huh?

Photos by @sally_siko of @bestlife_birding on my beloved full frame 50MP beast, the mighty @canonusa #5Ds

Field Notes, The Adventures of your bird watching Admin

A White Ibis at Huntington Beach State Park in Murrells Inlet, SC

While birding on a recent trip to Huntington Beach State Park in Murrells Inlet SC I spotted a handsome White Ibis preening up in a tree.
It was cold and overcast outside but it was neat to be able to grab a few portraits of this beautiful white bird set against the pale grey sky.



When they’re not spotted in the trees along the waters edge, Ibis’s are most often seen wading in shallow water sweeping their head form side-to-side in search of food. Using their long, curved bills to probe into the mud, they are on a constant hunt for crabs, crayfish and other small crustaceans. Once a meal is caught, they’ll swallow their prey whole which is rather impressive given that much of their prey has a hard shell or pincers.



Ibis’s are a year round resident of the Carolinas and are a relatively common sight feeding along the shorelines of our coastal marshes and estuaries.
You can also spot Ibises foraging for food on suburban lawns and mudflats hunting for insects, frogs, snails, marine worms, snakes, and even small fish swimming in shallow water ponds or creeks.

Photos by @sally_siko of @birdwatching_nc on my beloved beast, the mighty mirrorless @canonusa #r5

Field Notes

Horned Grebes at Huntington Beach State Park

Photographing birds on the ocean is a fun but challenging pursuit. Especially on days with rough seas when the birds riding on the water at a distance are obscured by rolling waves.
That’s why I was thrilled to finally capture a good photo or two of this pair of Horned Grebes at a close range from my vantage point of shooting on the rock jetty at Huntington Beach State Park.
With those piercing red eyes and that lovely black and white plumage, Horned Grebes are truly striking looking birds when your lucky enough to catch a good look at one floating on the Atlantic.

These handsome birds are a relatively common sight swimming in the ocean just offshore of the Carolinas during the wintertime months.
That being said, they are also occasionally found a little further inland on bays and estuaries, as well as on our coastal fresh water lakes and brackish impoundments.

During the winter, their diet mostly consists of fish as well as crustaceans, mollusks and insects.
But, did you know that Horned Grebe’s regularly eats some of its own feathers?
So much so that its stomach usually contains a matted plug of them. Like the strainer covering the hole in your kitchen sink, this plug may function as a filter screen or may hold fish bones in the stomach a little longer until they can be digested. The parents even feed feathers to their chicks to get the plug started early.
Crazy huh?

Photos by @sally_siko of @birdwatching_nc on my beloved beast, the mighty mirrorless @canonusa#R5

Field Notes

Black Swans in South Carolina

I finally experienced my first Black Swan event…


Nope, I wasn’t filled with a sense of uneasiness or foreboding normally associated with the term, rather I was elated to finally have an opportunity to photograph these lovely birds for the first time.
As was the case with the Mute Swans I posted late last year, I spotted this pair of Black Swans near a roadside pond along Rt.17 near Murrells Inlet SC.

Black Swans are not native to the Carolina’s. They are found in southern regions of Australia and have also been introduced into England and Japan. Most of the ones spotted here in the United States are either captive farm birds or escapees who have found a home in the wild.
With those intense orange eyes, onyx plumage, a wingspan reaching 6.6ft and a weight of nearly 20lbs, these beauties are impressive birds to catch a good look at.


Although I’ve seen Black Swans in the past, I’d never had a camera in hand during the encounter so it was really cool to be able to photograph this intense looking species up close.

Photos by @sally_siko of @birdwatching_nc on my beloved beast, the mighty mirrorless @canonusa#R5

Birdwatching News, Out There with the Expert

Wintertime Limpkin sighting in South Carolina

Recently I took a quick trip down Murrells Inlet SC to see what kinds of birds were spending the winter south off the Raleigh area.
One species in particular I looking forward too seeing again were this pair of Limpkins which have been calling a neighborhood drainage pond in SC home over the past year.


The fact that these birds are here in South Carolina is pretty special because the Limpkins typical home range extends from south Florida to central and South America.
But what is the thing that is keeping them here?



The answer is snails.
Apple Snails to be precise!
While they certainly consume a fair amount of mollusks, worms, amphibians and insects the Limpkins favorite food is the Giant Apple Snail.
In fact their bills are bent and twisted at the tip, a unique physical adaptation solely developed for removing the snails from the shell.
Even during courtship the Apple Snail plays a part as the males will feed their mates the slimy snack in an effort to win her affection.
Apparently that tactic has worked in the case of these two birds since they successfully nested and raised several chicks in this location last year.


I’m hoping that this spring will yield another successful nesting season for the pair and am looking forward to seeing little ones running around the shoreline in May.

Photos by @sally_siko of @birdwatching_nc on my beloved beast, the mighty mirrorless @canonusa #R5

Field Notes, The Adventures of your bird watching Admin

Hooded Mergansers at Huntington Beach State Park, SC

Of of the most striking looking ducks we’ve got swimming around the Carolinas is the Hooded Merganser. With that huge crown of feathers at the top of their heads, these handsome birds are truly kings of the water.
I spotted this small flock last month while birding at Huntington Beach State Park in Murrells Inlet, SC.
It was able to get relatively close to these guys from my vantage point on the boardwalk over the marsh which was pretty neat!



Hooded Mergansers are a species species of diving duck with a somewhat unusual diet in that they do not eat much plant material. Instead they prefer to snack on small fish, crawfish, and aquatic insects.In addition, they’ve got long serrated beaks which aid in the capture and consumption of their underwater prey.
The tidal marsh habitat where I photographed these birds served as the perfect hunting grounds for the Mergansers.



Though many of us associate Mergansers as being a wintertime visitor to NC, they are known to breed in our eastern counties making them a year round resident of the Carolina’s.
Like Wood Ducks, they are cavity-nesters but unlike Wood Ducks, Mergansers often lay their eggs in other females’ nests. This is behavior is similar to the practice of Brown-headed Cowbirds, except that the ducks only lay eggs in nests of their own species.
Pretty neat, huh?

Photos by me @sally_siko of @birdwatching_nc on my beloved beast, the mighty mirrorless @canonusa #R5