Cornell Lab of Ornithology and The New York Times are collaborating on a science project, and they’re asking for your help. New birders and experienced birders are invited to help gather observations and fill in some data gaps using Cornell’s free apps, Merlin and eBird.
If you’re interested in participating the details are included in this article from The New York Times, as well as the registration form to sign-up.
It’s important work, and your input will assist scientists in making informed decisions about conservation and the study of birds.
It is a small but chunky bird with a round body and a long tail that it often cocks upward. The head is large with very little neck, and the distinctive bill marks it as a wren: long, slender, and down curved. Both males and females are a bright, unpatterned reddish-brown above and warm buffy-orange below, with a long white eyebrow stripe, dark bill, and white chin and throat.
Only male Carolina Wrens sing—a series of several quick, whistled notes, repeated a few times. The entire song usually lasts less than 2 seconds and the notes are usually described as three-parted, as in a repeated teakettle. Each male has a repertoire of up to several dozen different song variations. He’ll sing one of these about 15 times before changing his tune. One captive male Carolina Wren sang nearly 3,000 times in a single day.
A pair bond may form between a male and a female at any time of the year, and the pair will stay together for life. Members of a pair stay together on their territory year-round, and forage and move around the territory together. They are described as non-migrating, or “permanent residents,” although they may wander north of their breeding range, especially in fall.
Carolina Wrens frequent vegetated habitats such as brushy thickets, lowland cypress swamps, bottomland woods, and ravines choked with hemlock and rhododendron. They gravitate toward shrubby, wooded residential areas, overgrown farmland, dilapidated buildings, and brushy suburban yards. These small birds can be seen or heard frequently throughout Seabrook Island. Keeping a brush pile in your yard is a great way of encouraging wrens to take up residence.
Insects and spiders make up the bulk of this wren’s diet. Common foods include caterpillars, moths, stick bugs, leafhoppers, beetles, grasshoppers, crickets, and cockroaches. Carolina Wrens occasionally eat lizards, frogs, or snakes. They also consume a small amount of plant matter, such as fruit pulp and seeds from bayberry, sweetgum, or poison ivy.
Several residents on Seabrook Island have mentioned they have Carolina Wrens nesting near their home. Although described as shy birds, we find the pair that live near our home at Bohicket Marina quite curious and happy to sing on our deck and balcony for us each morning. Be on the lookout and listen for this special state bird on our island.
If you would like to learn more about this bird visit:
Range Map – Carolina Wren – Cornell Lab of Ornithology
Article submitted by: Nancy Brown
Photographs provided by: Bob Hider & Charley Moore
This blog post is part of a series SIB will publish on a regular basis to feature birds seen in the area, both migratory and permanent residents. When possible we will use photographs taken by our members. Please let us know if you have any special requests of birds you would like to learn more about.
You’ve read numerous “SIB Travel” blogs about birding trips taken by members. SIB members often hear about bird walks, festivals or tours that may interest others but not an official SIB activity. If you hear of something, let us know by sending the information to SeabrookIslandBirders@gmail.com. You can share, even if you don’t plan to attend. When possible, we’ll create a blog to share the information.
One of nature’s many spectacles is the annual hawk migration. One of the best places in the world to watch hawk migration is in Veracruz Mexico. As the Mexican geography narrow, the birds are pinched between the mountains and the coast. It is not uncommon for 200,000 birds to fly over in a single day. This creates what is referred to as the River of Raptors.
Bob Mercer’s twin brother, John Mercer, went last year on a tour coordinated by Pro Natura, a local to Veracruz company. Here is a copy of a presentation he made to the West Chester Bird Club. Veracruz, The River of Raptors with Hawk Mountain – YouTube
He enjoyed it so much, he set up a trip for this year from October 11 to October 21, 2023, to capture Swainson’s Hawks migration.
Below is the itinerary and the potential cost for the trip depending upon the number of people. He currently has 8 people signed up and would like to get three to five additional participants, if you are interested, please contact John at mercer1135@aol.com
10-12 people Single: $2900, Double $2700 8-9 people: Single 3500 Double $3300 6-7 people: Single $4700 Double $4400
The fees cover lodging, food, and ground transportation. It does not include tips, alcohol, or airline transportation.
Itinerary for the trip
October 11 Travel Day and arrival to Veracruz Meet Pronatura guides at Veracruz City Airport to travel by van to a hotel for an overnight along the Gulf of Mexico at Hotel Mocambo.
October 12 Hotel Bienvenido, Cardel Early morning bird walk at hotel’s gardens and at the beach, first movement of migrants will be seen, then transfer to Cardel for first hawk watching experience, visit the two hawk watching sites of Veracruz to enjoy the Swainson’s Hawk migration.
October 13 Hotel Bienvenido, Cardel. Birding at Juan Angel beach, looking for shorebirds and other local species such Aplomado Falcon, Magnificent Frigatebird and Mexican Sheartail, later return to the hawk watches to enjoy the migration.
Magnificent Frigatebird
October 14 Hotel Bienvenido, Cardel. Birding at Villa Rica Lagoon and the Quiahuixtlan ruins, an ancient cemetery and overlook to the Gulf of Mexico. Return to Cardel to rest or Hawk watching at the lookouts.
October 15 Hotel Paso de La Niebla, Perote. Birding at Macuiltepetl park in Xalapa, place to enjoy some Mexican endemics such Blue Mockingbird, Bearded Wood-partridge and Blue-capped Motmot and colorful birds such Green jays, Elegant Euphonia and some migratory warblers. Later we will visit the Museum of Anthropology of Xalapa, 2nd best museum of the Country and travel to the Highlands of Perote.
Montezuma Oropendola
October 16 Hotel Paso de La Niebla, Perote Depending on weather we will enjoy the pine forest looking for the gem Red Warbler and Collared Towhee both endemics of Mexico, in company with Golden-browed Warbler, Crescent-chested Warbler. Later we will explore de desert area in search of Lucifer Hummingbird, Mexican Violetear, the endemic Striped Sparrow and other gems.
October 17 Hotel Puente Nacional Leaving to lower elevation forest of Las Vigas, searching for great views of the Brown-backed solitaire, one of the best songs of the cloud forest, Mountain Trogon, Tufted Flycatcher, Olivaceus Woodcreeper, Black-headed Nightingale Thrush and Rufous-capped Brushfinch rest at Hotel Puente Nacional (Hawk watching optional).
October 18 Hotel Puente Nacional Visit to El Mirador, this is a private conservation Coffee orchard, run by the owners, you will learn about the importance of a diversified shade for the well of Birds accompanied with the owners to share the beauty of their land.
October 19 Hotel in Boca del río Walk at Paso Mariano river and stop to Chichicaxtle for last migration day, we will be looking this morning for Yellow Headed Parrot, Lineated Woodpecker, Canivet’s Emerald, and the movements of visiting warblers along the river and raptors at the observatory. In the afternoon we will have a boat trip on la Antigua river and will get to Boca del Rio for rest.
Green-breasted Mango
October 20 Hotel in Boca del Río Visiting Las Barrancas, a grassland and wetlands located south of Veracruz, looking for Double-striped Thick-knee, Yellow bellied Elaenia, Forked-tailed Flycatcher, Tropical Mockingbird, Green-breasted Mango, Black-bellied Whistling-Duck, Herons and more.
October 21 Departure to home Pronatura will make sure everyone gets to the Veracruz International airport on time.
Seabrook Island Birders does not sponsor or take responsibility for this or any trips other than those as official activities of SIB. This is provided for your consideration.
Stunning, vivid, and spectacular are a few of the adjectives that come to mind when we describe the Painted Bunting. In Louisiana, the Painted Bunting is called “nonpareil”, French for “without equal”. In Mexico, it’s commonly known as “siete colores”, or “seven colors”. Fitting terms for this gorgeous bird. At our Seabrook backyard feeders, or greeting us on Boardwalk 1, it’s always a treat to view one!
Join us for Aaron Given’s informative talk on Painted Buntings. Aaron will provide an overview of the species and their life history. He’ll discuss his research on Kiawah Island tracking Painted Buntings using the Motus Network, and the collaborative research of tracking Painted Buntings using geolocator technology across the southeast.
Aaron has been the Assistant Wildlife Biologist for the Town of Kiawah Island since 2008. In his role, he manages one of the largest bird banding stations in the southeast focusing on fall migration, wintering marsh sparrows, Painted Buntings, and Wilson’s Plovers.
Speaker Biography:
Aaron has been the Assistant Wildlife Biologist for the Town of Kiawah Island since 2008. He grew up in Oswego, IL (a far suburb of Chicago) and graduated with a B.S. in Zoology from Southern Illinois University in 2000. Aaron went on to attend Southeast Missouri State University where he received a M.S. in Wildlife Biology in 2005. In graduate school, he studied the wintering ecology of yellow rails in coastal Texas. This is where he got his first exposure to bird banding and was fascinated with being able to study and observe the birds in such fine detail. His primary research interest is in ornithology with a special focus on avian ecology and management, passerine migration ecology, and secretive marshbird ecology. Aaron currently manages one of the largest bird banding stations in the southeast focusing on fall migration, wintering marsh sparrows, Painted Buntings, and Wilson’s Plovers. He is also a statewide eBird data reviewer for South Carolina but mainly focuses on Charleston, Berkeley, Georgetown, and Horry Counties. Aaron also serves on the South Carolina Bird Records Committee and is the 2nd Vice President of the Eastern Bird Banding Association.
Be sure to register so you won’t miss this exciting event!
Our members love birds and love to travel! We love to feature stories and photos from our members throughout the year so you can “Travel with SIB.” Let us know if you have a story you’d like to share about your travels! Recently, Jennifer Jerome returned to Australia. Her trip was so packed with good experiences, we’ve made it into two posts.
Backroad safariYellow-tailed Black-CockatooAt a creek crossingOne of creeks we crossedWallaby cuteness
Arriving back in the tablelands we did a little more exploring of the area, traveling the backroads through Grandma Tuckwell’s property we found an old Ford Truck, and ID’d some additional birds, that turned out to be a juvenile Butcherbird and the female Bower Bird, more Fairy Wrens, Willy Wagtails, and a Red Browed Finch, moving to Michaels property I finally caught a glimpse of the Yellow-Tailed Cockatoos I’d been hearing.
Wombat HoleCrimson RosellaGrey Fantail
The properties were full of Wombat holes, I wasn’t lucky enough to see one, except for the sign and the holes.
Red WattlebirdRed WattlebirdEastern Spinebill
During my last week we made a trip to the Australian Capital Territory, Canberra to visit with a relative and visit the National Museum and Botanic Gardens. I was hoping to see some new birds, and I wasn’t disappointed. There weren’t many, but they were beautiful. I added the Red Wattle Bird, an Eastern Spinebill, an Eastern Yellow Robin, a Pied Currawong and a Silvereye to my list.
Eastern Yellow RobinGippsland Water Dragon
The National Museum was interesting, but no birds, lol! There was this cool 1950’s Holden and caravan on exhibit, something I grew up with is now in a museum!!!
On the ride back from Canberra, I saw a Crested Pigeon sitting on a telephone line. I’d been wanting a better photo of one, so asked Michael to stop. When he did, I heard lots of noise and commotion in the air. Flying across the road appeared to be dozens of Cockatoos and Corellas. Grabbing my camera, I scurried down the road to try and capture some of the action. If you look closely at the picture of me near the road, the white specs are some of the Cockatoos crossing overhead. It was quite the adrenalin rush!
Crested PigeonCorrellas and Cockatoos
The infux of noisy Cockatoos even caused some peaceful Australian Ibis and Cormorant to take flight together! I did get the Crested Pigeon picture before it flew off in fright! I did get the pigeon picture before it flew off in fright! That was the grand finale to my birding and to my Australian visit.
Australian IbisAustralian Ibis and Pied Cormorant
It was a an appropriate end to a trip that began and ended with Sulphur Crested Cockatoos. In all, given that this trip was not totally dedicated to birding, I was able to add 56 species to my life list, and added some to the SIB Big Year. It has left me wanting for more! Can’t wait until the next adventure!
I was recently bike riding near the fire station and saw these Snowy Egrets in the marsh hopping around and flapping their wings. What were they doing? -Anonymous
Snowy Egrets – Gina Sanders
Answer: These are Snowy Egrets and according to The Cornell Lab All About Birds, Snowy Egrets hop for a couple of reasons – foraging for food and territorial displays.
“Snowy Egrets feed while standing, walking, running, or hopping, and they may vibrate their bills, sway their heads, or flick their wings as part of prey gathering. They even forage while hovering.”
Snowy Egrets foraging for prey – Gina Sanders
“While they may employ a sit-and-wait technique to capture their food, sometimes they are much more animated, running back and forth through the water with their wings spread, chasing their prey.”
They also give a similar territorial display during courtship, and when defending the immediate area around their nest.
You’ve read numerous “SIB Travel” blogs about birding trips taken by members. SIB members often hear about bird walks, festivals or tours that may interest others but not an official SIB activity. If you hear of something, let us know by sending the information to SeabrookIslandBirders@gmail.com. You can share, even if you don’t plan to attend. When possible, we’ll create a blog to share the information.
There are regularly scheduled walks conducted by Charleston County Parks and South Carolina Department of Natural Resources. Members have enjoyed these in the past but are not always in attendance.
Charleston County Parks:
Early Morning Birdwalks at Caw Caw Each Wednesday and Saturday morning at 8:30 – 10:30, these guided walks trek through many distinct habitats will allow attendees to view and discuss a variety of birds, butterflies, and other organisms.
The Early Morning Birdwalk program at Caw Caw Interpretive Center currently requires preregistration. On-site registration will not be available. Gold Pass holders are free but must preregister to reserve a spot. $10 per person charge for those without Gold Pass
Lighthouse Inlet Bird Walk This walk focuses on the incredibly diverse northeast end of Folly Island. Once the home of a Coast Guard station, this Heritage Preserve protects maritime forest, beach, dune, and marsh habitats for wildlife. This site boasts one of the largest bird lists in South Carolina. At this time of year, we hope to see Painted Buntings and Wilson’s Plovers, plus much more.
What to expect: This program is open to birders of all levels, including beginners. No accessible parking available. No restrooms available. The park includes paved surface that leads to natural, unimproved surface out to a sandy beach. The program route is out and back and is approximately one mile long total. The program route is flat leading to moderate elevation when crossing sand dunes and no benches are available along the trail. The program speed is moderately slow and requires periods of standing and gazing upwards.
There is a $9 charge for this event which is usually conducted the second Friday each month.
Early Birding If the early bird gets the worm, the early birdwatchers get both! We can leave the worms for the avian life and enjoy finding birds at dawn. A birding professional will help you find the birds and understand their strategies for success in the natural world.
What to expect: This program is open to birders of all levels, including beginners. Accessible parking, restrooms, water fountains, and picnic tables are available near the parking area where the program begins and ends. The park includes paved and boardwalk trails, as well as some natural, unimproved trails that are mostly flat. The program route is out to an overlook and back and approximately a mile and a half long total. Benches are available midway along the trail route. The program speed is moderately slow and requires periods of standing and gazing upwards.
Watch the Charleston County Parks and Recreation web site for scheduled walks. This one has a $9 charge and is scheduled for August 17 for 6:30 – 8:30am at Stono River County Park.
South Carolina Department of Natural Resources has an event calendar for Botany Bay. Their description and link to calendar is here. You can also sign-up for newsletters that provide information on upcoming events. Monthly they have a Bird Watching Trailer Tour. Information for recent event:
Join SCDNR & ornithologist Craig Watson for a bird watching trailer tour throughout Botany Bay!
Enjoy the diverse bird population with SCDNR & renowned ornithologist Craig Watson for a bird watching trailer tour throughout the Botany Bay Wildlife Management Area (WMA). Please note that this is a very remote area as it is a WMA and there are no facilities such as restrooms.
Details for the event: • Trailer tour: The bird watching tour will take place on a trailer. If you cannot attend the entire length of the program, you can follow behind in your car. Due to limited space, all participants must RSVP. • What to bring: Dress is casual. Check the weather report and dress appropriately as you will be outside. Other items to consider bringing include binoculars, hat, sunglasses, sunblock, bug spray and reusable water bottle. • Costs: The program is free of charge. • Weather: Tours are held rain or shine unless hazardous weather occurs. An email will be sent out day of if event needs to be canceled. • Parking: Once you enter into the gates of Botany Bay, please check your vehicle in at the front kiosk. Drive 1 mile up at the road and meet at the “Check Station” (look for SCDNR truck & trailer). *This will be a monthly occurring event.*
Seabrook Island Birders does not sponsor or take responsibility for these or any trips other than those as official activities of SIB. This is provided for your consideration.
Brown Pelican – Pelecanus occidentalis
Length: 51″; Wingspan: 79″; Weight: 131.2 oz.
Brown Pelican taking off from the ocean – Ed Konrad
Brown Pelicans are a very common site on Seabrook Island all year long. This large bird is commonly found on our island flying over the dunes and beaches in V-formations or single file, flapping and gliding in unison. Sometimes you even see them coasting just inches above the water. While in flight, pelicans hold their heads drawn back on their shoulders. Have you ever seen them feed? It is a fabulous site! They drop from the air sometimes as high as 60 feet and plunge dive head first into the water and scoop and trap their prey in their extended pouch. Then they drain the water out the sides of their bill and now are left with a tasty catch of fish usually either herring, sheepshead, mullet, pigfish, minnows or pinfish. Adult Brown Pelicans consume as much as four pounds of fish per day. Ever wonder why the pelican doesn’t get hurt during these plunges? Well, air sacs beneath the skin on their breasts act like cushions to protect them during impact. They also rotate their body ever so slightly to the left. This helps to avoid injury to their esophagus and trachea which are located on their right side.
The Brown Pelican adult has a gray-brown body with white and pale yellow head and a long bill (11-13 inches) and an expandable throat pouch that can carry nearly 3 gallons of water and/or fish. The back of the neck turns chestnut in breeding season. Males and females look similar in color however males are slightly larger. Pelican bodies are large and heavy, they have short legs and webbed feet. Their wings are long and broad. Juveniles are all brown at first then change gradually to adult plumage.
Brown Pelicans are very gregarious birds. Both males and females live in flocks throughout the year. They are exceptionally buoyant due to internal air sacks beneath their skin and in their bones.
Their nests are large and flat and made of grass, straw and sticks and built in a tree or if on the ground the nest consists of a shallow scrape lined with feathers and a rim of soil. They lay 2-4 white eggs and incubation ranges from 28-30 days and is carried out by both parents. They incubate their eggs by covering them with their webbed feet. Brown pelicans are monogamous (have only one partner) throughout the breeding season and nest in large colonies.
They breed in large numbers on Deveaux Bank, a 215 acre seabird sanctuary, located between Edisto Island and Seabrook Island. This Brown Pelican colony is the largest one in South Carolina and is responsible for 67% of all Brown Pelicans nesting in South Carolina and 25% of the Brown Pelican’s nesting on the Atlantic coast.
The oldest brown pelican on record was 43 years of age.
A group of Pelicans has many collective nouns, including a “brief”, “pod”, “rush”, “pouch”, “scoop” and “squadron” of Pelicans.
The Crab Bank Pelicam, just off Mount Pleasant in Charleston Harbor, brings you live video of nesting pelicans. You will also hear the low grunts typical in a colony.
If you would like to learn more about this bird visit:
Brown Pelican having a bite to eat while the gulls wait for the extra – Ed Konrad
Brown Pelican with Laughing Gull – Ed Konrad
Brown Pelican with his mouth full and a Laughing Gull waiting for dropsies – Ed Konrad
Brown Pelican eating – Ed Konrad
Brown Pelican enjoying the leftovers after the dolphin strand feeding!
Brown Pelican range map
Submitted by Flo Foley and Photographs by Ed Konrad
This blog post is part of a series SIB will publish on a regular basis to feature birds seen in the area, both migratory and permanent residents. When possible we will use photographs taken by our members. Please let us know if you have any special requests of birds you would like to learn more about.
In April, many of you may have seen on Facebook or other websites that a Bald Eagle (Murphy) was incubating a rock. This week, SIB member George Haskins sent us an update he saw in his local newspaper. The 31-year-old eagle is now fostering an eaglet. It seems to be an appropriate Father’s Day update.
The FoxWeather site gives a good summary and some great pictures and video.
“Although it might make you feel sad that Murphy has built a nest and is nurturing a rock as an egg, it’s just his hormonal response to spring,” the sanctuary posted on Facebook on March 26. “Murphy does not need a real egg to feel accomplished. He’s quite content with his rock, and VERY protective of it.”
It was later decided that the sanctuary would give Murphy a chance at fostering a rescued eaglet, dubbed nestling 23-126. It arrived at the sanctuary after an eagle nest containing two chicks near Ste. Genevieve was blown down by very high winds. One chick died in the fall, but the other was found and rescued by faithful nest watcher who brought it to World Bird Sanctuary’s Wildlife Hospital.
Prior to introducing the eaglet to Murphy, the caretakers carefully fed the eaglet wearing camouflage suit and holding a stuffed eagle to prevent the eaglet from imprinting on humans. Then the eaglet was gradually introduced to Murphy.
“As of now, Murphy and our juvenile are still in the same enclosure and are having their food ‘delivered’ secretly through a tube, which drops the food into baby’s nesting platform,” Holloway told FOX Weather. “This way, there is no human connection to the food and Murphy gets credit for it just by being there.”
New York Times included a quote: When, as a test, the keepers placed two plates of food in front of the birds — one containing food cut into pieces that the chick could eat by itself, and another with a whole fish that only Murphy could handle — the older bird tore up the fish and fed it to the eaglet, Ms. Griffard said.
Murphy has been exhibiting appropriate “fathering” behavior. Read more on FoxWeather and other sites.
Male Eastern Bluebird with worm for nestlings. Photo by Gina Sanders
As I sit in my favorite “office” writing this (which is our screened porch, overlooking our back yard and feeders), I can’t help but notice a male Eastern Bluebird. He’s flying back and forth, from the trees to the nest box we added this year. He’s definitely working overtime, delivering food to his hungry family.
We’ve been watching them all spring. My husband put up the new bluebird box in March and barely got back in the house before Mr. & Mrs. Bluebird had discovered and claimed it. Brood number two is about to fledge.
We’ve watched several feathered parents raise their young around our feeders this year. It’s impressive to see their dedication. So that got me thinking. Which bird dads make the best fathers?
Several resident male backyard birds get busy once the babies are hatched. Northern Cardinals, Carolina Wrens, Northern Mockingbirds, Tufted Titmice, Brown Thrashers, and Red-bellied Woodpeckers all take part in the whole process, including food delivery. They are the Door-Dashers of the bird world.
Male Great Blue Herons and Great Egrets gather nesting material, assist with incubation, and help feed the young.
Male Great Blue Heron passing a stick to female during nest construction. Photo by Gina Sanders
Osprey, Owls and Eagles are also busy dads, hunting for food and feeding the female while she’s incubating, then feeding the hungry chicks after they hatch.
But what about superstar dads? Which feathered dad stands out as best of the best? Feathered Dad of the Year?
Downy Woodpeckers rank pretty high! They work together to build the nest and they both incubate the eggs during the day. But at night Dad takes over. Once babies arrive, he stays in the nest cavity with them at night until they fledge, keeping them warm and safe. Once fledged, he teaches them where and how to find food. Devoted from start to finish.
But Dad of the Year should go to a bird not found on Seabrook Island, not even close. The Emperor Penguin. According to Audubon, after mom lays a single egg she immediately transfers it to dad’s feet, where it stays warm under a brood pouch of skin and feathers. The female then heads off to the spa for weeks….no, not the spa, the “sea” for weeks, leaving dad to fend for himself against the frigid Antarctic winter. In fact, many Emperor penguin males huddle together for warmth during this critical time, all with the same responsibility of keeping the egg warm. Once mom returns, refreshed and well fed (maybe it was the spa), then dad takes off for his weeks-long feast with all the other guys. Eventually he returns and they work together, co-parenting their young.
Emperor Penguin and chick – Shutterstock image
So, while we enjoy backyard barbecues and summer fun with our dads this Father’s Day, don’t forget about all our feathered friends who are working around the clock, making sure their chicks are safe and well fed. No cookouts or beach days for them, they work straight through. For this we recognize all the Dad’s of the bird world. Happy Father’s Day!
SIB 