February 2016

Seabrook Island Photography Club: Photographing a Scene

Special Program Announcement

Speaker: Tim Grey, Professional Photographer, Author & Educator
Subject: “Photographing a Scene”
Thursday, March 3^rd at 6:30 p.m.
Open to all residents and their guests without charge

Please join us for this opportunity to hear from Tim Grey, a well-known professional photographer.

Tim is regarded as one of the top educators in digital photography and imaging, offering clear guidance on complex subjects through his writing and speaking. He has written more than a dozen books on digital imaging for photographers, and has also had hundreds of articles published in magazines. Tim teaches through workshops, seminars, and appearances at major events worldwide. Visit his website at http://www.timgrey.com/.

Tim’s Presentation

A lot of thought can go into creating a photograph. Sometimes those thoughts are conscious, and sometimes we don’t even realize we’re thinking. In this presentation Tim Grey will share his approach to photographing a scene and to managing the resulting images. You’ll learn the stories behind some of Tim’s favorite photographs, how he makes decisions about where to position the camera, what equipment to use, and what settings to use. Along the way you’ll gain insights that may help you become a more thoughtful photographer, and that may help you be better able to locate favorite photos later.

Submitted by Valerie Doane

2016 Great Backyard Bird Count

Many thanks to the crazy birders who braved the cold temperatures (31 degrees and wind chill of 17) on Sunday, February 14, for our Great Backyard Bird Count. And thanks to several of you who were with us in spirit and those who birded from their homes. The fifteen of us split off into two groups and birded around the Lakehouse and Jenkins Point area. As cold as it was, we were fortunate to see 30 various types of birds. Below is our species count along with a couple of pictures from our excursion for you to view.

eBird Checklist Summary for: Feb 14, 2016

(1): Seabrook Island — Palmetto Lake
(2): Seabrook Island — Jenkins Point Rd

2 Bufflehead — (1)
55 Hooded Merganser — (1),(2)
4 Double-crested Cormorant — (1)
1 Anhinga — (1)
4 Brown Pelican — (1)
1 Great Blue Heron — (2)
19 Great Egret — (1),(2)
1 Snowy Egret — (1), (2)
4 Little Blue Heron — (1),(2)
3 Tricolored Heron — (2)
2 Black-crowned Night-Heron — (2)
3 Turkey Vulture — (1),(2)
1 Osprey — (1)
2 Bald Eagle — (1)
1 Belted Kingfisher — (2)
1 Red-bellied Woodpecker — (2)
2 Yellow-bellied Sapsucker — (2)
3 Blue Jay — (1)
12 American Crow — (1), (2)
1 Tufted Titmouse — (2)
7 Carolina Chickadee — (2)
1 Carolina Wren — (2)
18 Eastern Bluebird — (1), (2)
2 Gray Catbird — (2)
4 Northern Mockingbird — (1), (2)
34 Yellow-rumped Warbler — (1),(2)
3 Red-winged Blackbirds — (2)
6 Northern Cardinal — (1), (2)
1 White-throated Sparrow — (2)
2 House Finch — (1)

This was our first “Learning Together” bird walk and we plan to do more of these each month. The intent is to identify some birds, learn about behavior and/or habitat, meet others in our community who enjoy birds and have FUN!

Sleeping Hooded Merganser Couple – Nancy Brown

Red-Bellied Woodpecker – Charley Moore

Northern Mockingbird – Charley Moore

Little Blue Heron – Charley Moore

Anhinga – Dean Morr

Little Blue Heron – Dean Morr

Gray Catbird – Dean Morr

Submitted by Flo Foley, Activities Chair

How Do Birds Drink Water?

All birds, including this lesser goldfinch, need water. (Photo: Creative Commons)

by Dawn Hewitt | Managing Editor, Bird Watcher’s Digest

Just like you and me, birds need water to survive. Most birds drink some water every day, but they don’t drink the way we mammals do. Their anatomy is obviously quite different from ours. For one thing, they don’t have cheeks and lips! With a few exceptions, birds lack the ability to suction liquid into their throats, as horses do. Most birds drink by filling their bill with water—often from morning dew on leaves—then tilting their head back, using gravity to send the liquid into their digestive tract.

Read the entire article at Bird Watchers Digest.

20 Things You (Probably) Don’t Know About Birds

Ruby-Throated Hummingbird Taking Flight - Charles J Moore — Ruby-Throated Hummingbird Taking Flight – Charles J Moore

by Anne Drew – Contributor, Bird Watcher’s Digest

How many bird species are alive today? What is the fastest bird? What is a group of owls called?

We thought you might be interested to learn the answers to these and other FAQ’s about birds here at BirdWatcherDigest.

Don’t forget to log your bird sightings into eBird to support the Great Backyard Bird Count (GBBC) from February 12-15, 2016?

Create a Logo for SIB

Hello Seabrook Island Birders (SIB)

We hope you enjoyed our first meeting on January 20th, are finding the SIB website (Seabrookislandbirders .org) and blog informative and are following SIB news and activities on the SIB Facebook page.

As you are all aware, a logo is extremely important to any organization or business and we would like to ask our members to help create a logo for SIB.

We will consider any ideas submitted by the membership. (Would a graphic artist please stand up) Up to five potential logo designs will be selected by SIB officers at our March 1st Committee Meeting and then circulated via the SIB website to be voted on by the membership.

Please submit your thoughts, ideas and/or designs no later than February 29th to SeabrookIslandBirders@gmail.com. The creator of the winning design will receive a prize.

Charley Moore

SIB Chairman

Join SIB for our First “Learning Together Bird Walk” this Sunday

There is still time to sign up for the SIB’s first “Learning Together Bird Walks” by registering here . Read details below.

Screen Shot 2016-02-06 at 8.33.49 AM

We encourage everyone to take time during the weekend of February 12 – 15, 2016 to participate in the Great Backyard Bird Count (GBBC). Spend 15 minutes or longer documenting the number of each species and input this information along with the date, time, length of time and location into www.eBird.org (if you are a first time user, you will need to create a login). Learn more about the GBBC here.

On Sunday February 14, SIB is sponsoring our fist member activity by hosting two “Learning Together Bird Walks.” If you are not yet a SIB member, you must first become a member by following the instructions here.

Once you are a member, please register for one of the “Learning Together Bird Walks” by completing the form below and selecting one of the two trips:

Trip 1 – Palmetto Lake: Casual flat surface walk of less than a mile for approximately 1 1/2 hours around Palmetto Lake to view birds common to Seabrook Island backyards and ponds. Walk will leave the Lake House front steps promptly at 8:30 am. Limit 20 people.

Trip 2 – North Beach: Casual walk on North Beach of two miles (or more) for approximately 1 1/2 hours to view birds common to the beaches on Seabrook Island. Walk will leave the parking lot of North Beach Boardwalk #1 promptly at 8:30 am. Limit 12 people.

Please bring water, sunscreen, bug repellent, hat and if you have them binoculars and/or a camera.

Please click here to register no later than Friday February 12, 2016.

Thanks!

2016 Bluebird Society Kick-off Meeting

The kick-off meeting for the 2016 monitoring season of bluebird boxes will be February 24th at 4:00pm in Osprey 2 at the Lake House.

We will again be monitoring the 3 trails on the golf courses plus the Lake House trail. Monitoring will be divided into 3 sessions of about 8 weeks starting March 20th and concluding August 31st. A sign-up sheet will be available at this meeting if you are interested in a monitoring session of one of the trails this year.

Last year we monitored 75 boxes that produced 259 bluebird and 102 chickadee hatchlings.

We look forward to seeing you on the 24th.

Dean Morr, Seabrook Island Bluebird Society

SeabrookBluebirds@gmail.com

Photograph Compliment of Marie Wardell

Angry Eyes - Osprey - Marie Wardell

Marie Wardell submitted this photo she took of an Osprey at the tip at Privateer Creek back on July 7, 2014.

Marie said, “It felt like 100 degrees that day in July 2014. I had biked to the tip of Privateer Creek along Pelicans Watch beach. When I arrived I sat under the shade provided by a massive live oak. As I gulped my water, I looked up and noticed an osprey staring down at me. I kid you not, he was panting! At one point he looked as though he was damning me with his eyes! I imagined him saying, ‘If you don’t share that water, there is no telling what I might do!’ I fired off a few shots and sat back watching him in amazement.

“Taken with my trusty Nikon D40 mounted with Sigma 120-400 mm lens. Focal length 150mm F/6.3 1/640/second.”

Thanks Marie for sharing your photo!

Bird Sighting – More Northern Gannets

Helen Reinhart reports she saw seven (7) Northern Gannets on Tuesday 2/9/16 at 11:45 a.m. off Pelican Beach near Boardwalk #9. Helen said they were “in flight up and down the beach, feeding and close enough to easily identify.”

As we reported on the sighting last week, the Northern Gannet is a large bird (Length: 37″ and Wingspan: 72″) who spends most of its life at sea. Similar to the Brown Pelican, to feed it plunge dives into the ocean from as high as 130 feet.

Northern Gannet - © Ganesh Jayaraman — Northern Gannet – © Ganesh Jayaraman

Save-the-Date for SIB Meetings

Seabrook Island Birders (SIB) had our kick-off meeting on January 20th with over 100 participants. Since then the SIB officers have been busy planning additional programs and events for our members.

Please mark your calendar now for our next SIB meeting which will be held on April 27th and feature a program by the Center for Birds of Prey. In fact, mark your calendar for June 22nd and for September 28th for the other two SIB meetings for 2016. All programs are planned to begin with a social at 7:00 pm and the program starting at 7:30 pm and will be held in the Live Oak Room at the Lake House on Seabrook Island, SC.

We would love to hear of any ideas you have for program topics – just send us an email: SeabrookIslandBirders@gmail.com

Don’t forget to check out our website SeabrookIslandBirders.org and Like us on Facebook.

Thanks!

Lyn Magee and Judy Morr

SIB Program Chairs