It was a beautiful Thursday to learn more about the birds on Seabrook Island by enjoying a morning of relaxed birding at Camp St. Christopher with David Gardner. The group started by sitting at the bird feeders near Susannah’s House. There, the group were shown the difference between Chipping Sparrows and White-throated Sparrows. Northern Cardinals, Tufted Titmouse, Carolina Chickadee and Red-bellied Woodpeckers were also seen.
The group proceeded on a short walk along the lagoon to see the Double-crested Cormorant compared to the Anhinga. A rather noisy woodpecker was heard expanding the cavity in a dead tree to build a nest. Slight movement could be seen but unfortunately, the suspected Downy Woodpecker never took a break from construction to show itself.
The flighty Blue-gray Gnatcatchers showed themselves in a live oak before the group headed out to the beach to see Ring-billed Gulls and Brown Pelicans. Along the way, a Black Vulture and a Turkey Vulture circled overhead giving a good comparison with David pointing out the differences in flight patterns and wing tips. Later, a Bald Eagle was seen for another comparison of high flying birds.
After returning to the feeders for another look, the group was heading back to their cars when a Hermit Thrush was seen and allowed himself to be studied by the group who left feeling more comfortable in their bird identification capabilities. A complete list of the 20 species seen is shown below.
Double-crested Cormorant 5
Anhinga 1
Brown Pelican 15
Black Vulture 2
Turkey Vulture 8
Bald Eagle 1
Ring-billed Gull 4
Red-bellied Woodpecker 3
American Crow 11
Carolina Chickadee 16
Tufted Titmouse 18
Carolina Wren 6
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher 6
Eastern Bluebird 1
Hermit Thrush 1
Yellow-rumped Warbler 4
Chipping Sparrow 18
White-throated Sparrow 2
Northern Cardinal 9
Brown-headed Cowbird 1
Article Submitted by: Judy Morr
Photographs Submitted by: Dean Morr
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