February 11, 2016

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.