Month: April 2024

This little guy can be heard right now in all our marshes on Seabrook Island. They like to hang out in the tall grasses. This bird looks very much like a Carolina wren. (See the picture below to compare) They are an inch smaller than the Carolina Wren. They also have more black patterns on wings and back. They both are rusty-brown with a white eyebrow. But their songs are very different. The marsh wren has a very fast, buzzy, trilling sound. Marsh Wrens are boisterous songsters that sing not only at dawn and dusk, but sometimes throughout the night. Marsh wrens are usually seen alone or sometimes in pairs. 

Marsh Wrens pick insects and spiders from stems and leaves of marsh vegetation. They tend to forage close to water, but occasionally fly up to catch a passing insect. Males build several nests within their territory and breed with more than one female. They also destroy eggs and nestlings of other Marsh Wrens and marsh-nesting birds. Adults often return to the same breeding territories year after year. Males arrive on the breeding grounds first and begin building several dome-shaped nests. When a female arrives, he cocks his tail and sings. He then escorts her around to his nests, bowing and holding up his tail. Once the female selects the nest, they both aggressively defend the territory.

Although populations appear stable, like other species that rely on marsh habitat, draining and filling of marshes could be problematic for Marsh Wrens.

If you would like more information about Marsh Wrens, visit https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Marsh_Wren/overview

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.

Submitted by Melanie Jerome
Photos by Dean Morr and Audubon
References – All About Birds

The article below has been updated since its original post in 2017.  Current SIB members may experience different colony nests than reported here.

Recently we visited the rookery seen on Ocean Winds golf course or at a recent Backyard Birding.   That caused us to ask which birds nest in “rookeries” here on Seabrook Island.  Quite a few people know of Great Egret, which is correct!  Someone else said Least Terns. They do nest in colonies, but in recent years they haven’t been successful on Seabrook as a result of predators and king tides.  Hopefully, this year will be better.  And then of course there is the Blue Footed Booby – yes, they are colonial nesters but never seen on Seabrook!  LOL

So, what is colonial nesting?  This term describes bird species that nest and breed in close proximity as a group.  It can vary from just a few breeding pairs to hundreds or thousands of pairs!  A colony can be a single species or several bird species in a single colony.  As some of our residents can attest, these colonies can be quite loud and very active with courting adults, begging chicks and the comings and goings of birds.

It is estimated that 10% of the world’s bird species are considered colonial nesters.  There are several benefits for these birds:

• Safety in numbers
• Sharing of duties, including parental, gathering food, etc
• Easier to find a replacement mate
• Increased chance of chick survival

There are some downsides to colonial nesting as well:

• Availability of food sources
• More predators may be attracted to site
• Disease can spread quickly
• Natural disasters

Common colonial nesters found in South Carolina include herons, egrets, cormorants, swallows and several types of seabirds and shorebirds.  Most of the egrets and herons form colonies with several species.  In most cases, the nests are built by both the male and female. In general, 3-5 eggs are laid with an incubation from 20-30 days depending on species.  The chicks are able to fly and leave the nests in as little as 4 weeks and some up to 7 weeks.

As most people know, the Great Egret and Snowy Egret colonies are the most obvious and can be seen easily on Jenkins Point and the pond off of the 4th hole of Ocean Winds. Great Egrets generally build their nests from 10-40′ above the water. Snowy Egrets build their nests 5-10′ above the water.

Green Herons can be found nesting in several locations, including around Palmetto Lake behind the Lake House, along Jenkins Point and on several of the canals and ponds throughout the island. They tend to nest as isolated pairs or in small groups, but not normally in large colonies.  Their nests are 5-30′ above water and the young are flying as early as 23 days.

The Black-crowned Night Heron and the Yellow-crowned Night Heron are both quite secretive and little is known about their breeding and rearing of young.  A nesting location on Jenkins Point is assumed but we know they are part of the rookery on Ocean Winds.  They do nest in isolated pairs or small colonies.

Three additional colonial nesting herons raise their young here in SC, but we have not seen any of their colonies on Seabrook Island.  A great place to view their nests (along with many other species) is at Magnolia Plantation.  It is worth the drive to view the magnificent rookery they have which includes both egrets along with Anhingas and others!  The Great Blue Heron builds its nest 20-60′ above ground/water, the Little Blue Heron’s nest is 5-30′ above ground/water and the Tri-colored Heron is only 2-10′ above ground/water.

The White and Glossy Ibis are also colonial nesters and we’ve heard the Glossy nests in a secretive spot somewhere on Jenkins point.

The closely related Double-crested Cormorant and the Anhinga are also colonial nesters.  The first often nests near water on a cliff edge or in trees.  The latter near quiet sheltered water.  Nesting Anhinga have been seen in recent years along Jenkins Point and again in the Ocean Winds rookery.

Finally, two of the most unusual and spectacular wading birds, the Wood Stork and the Roseate Spoonbill, are also colonial nesters.  When this article was originally submitted in 2017, we had no known colonies of these birds on Seabrook Island.  Since then, the Wood Storks have joined the rookery on Ocean Winds.  A rookery with Wood Storks is also only a 35 minute trip to Dungannon WMA.  It is rumored a pair of Roseate Spoonbills have nested in past seasons at Bear Island in the Ace Basin.

Brown Pelicans and Black Skimmers are colony nesters that are very evident on Deveaux Bank.  SCDNR estimated over 3,000 Brown Pelican nests were on Deveaux Bank in 2023.  On April 24, 2024, SCDNR once again closed Deveaux Bank.  Their explanatory statement was  SCDNR biologists also observed royal, sandwich, least and gull-billed terns and black skimmers flying low over the island, scouting for a stretch of sand to form their nesting colonies. Deveaux Bank often supports more nesting terns and skimmers than any other site in South Carolina, making it one of the most important islands in the region for seabird survival.

If you get a few minutes, take time to visit one of our rookeries to view the nesting birds and their young. It’s just another reason we love living here in paradise!

Article Submitted by:  Nancy Brown and updated by Judy Morr
Photographs by:  Ed Konrad

We are happy to announce that Seabrook Island’s Bald Eagle family welcomed two new Eaglets in February!

Hatched sometime in February, these little nestlings were cared for daily by mom and dad.

We waited until they fledged to reveal their arrival, in order to give this eagle family plenty of privacy.

They’ve grown quickly! Juvenile Bald Eagles like to explore so be on the lookout for this adorable pair as you go about the island.

Photos provided by Glen Cox (shot from a safe distance with 400mm lens)

REGISTER

Sunday, April 28, 2024, 5:00-6:30 The Haul Over
Location: 2445 The Haul Over
Max:  20    
Cost: None for 2024 members; $10 donation for guests

We are going back! Our visit last May to Annalee Regenburg’s back yard was a witness of a bumper crop of Egret and Heron nests. We lost count at 100 nests.  Annalee’s house backs up to the Great White Egret Rookery. The females sit on their nests all day and the males come into the nests in the evenings. We plan on observing this wonderful, sometimes noisy event. I’m sure we will see some snowy egrets and green herons, plus some night herons and Wood Storks too. They are all tucked in there too. One year we even saw Cattle Egrets.  Walk around back when you arrive.

As always, be sure to bring your water, binoculars, hats and sunscreen.  

If you are not yet a 2024 SIB member, you must first become a member for only $15 by following the instructions on our website: https://seabrookislandbirders.org/contact/join-sib/.  Or you may pay the Guest Fee of $10 at the time of the activity.

Please complete the information below to register no later than Friday April 26th. All registrants will receive a confirmation letter on Saturday, April 27th.  

The Barn Swallow is blue above and tawny below, Barn Swallows dart gracefully over fields, barnyards, and open water in search of flying insect prey. Look for the long, deeply forked tail that streams out behind this agile flyer and sets it apart from all other North American swallows. Barn Swallows often cruise low, flying just a few inches above the ground or water. True to their name, they build their cup-shaped mud nests almost exclusively on human-made structures. They will often fly in flocks of 100 or more. Their song is very light and squeeky.

Flies of all types make up the majority of the Barn Swallow’s diet, along with beetles, bees, wasps, ants, butterflies, moths, and other flying insects.

Barn Swallow pairs explore a number of potential nesting spots, flying up and hovering to investigate a location, then moving to another site before narrowing their choice. Preferred sites include eaves, rafters, and cross beams of barns, sheds and stables, as well as the undersides of bridges, wharfs, and culverts. Look for them at our Crab Dock on Seabrook Island.

Clutch Size:	3-7 eggs
Number of Broods:	1-2 broods
Egg Length:	0.6-0.8 in (1.6-2.1 cm)
Egg Width:	0.5-0.6 in (1.2-1.5 cm)
Incubation Period:	12-17 days
Nestling Period:	15-27 days
Egg Description:	Creamy or pinkish white, spotted with brown, lavender, and gray.
Condition at Hatching:	Eyes closed, naked except for sparse tufts of pale gray down.

Barn Swallows have a mutually beneficial relationship with ospreys. Ospreys offer protection while barn swallows alert them to predators. The barn swallow is the national bird of Austria.

Barn Swallow populations declined by close to 0.6% per year from 1966 to 2019, resulting in an estimated cumulative decline of 25%, according to the North American Breeding Bird Survey. Partners in Flight estimates a global breeding population of 190 million and rates them 8 out of 20 on the Continental Concern Score.

Submitted by Melanie Jerome
Photos provided by Ed Konrad and Gina Sanders

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.

If you would like to read more about the Barn Swallow, research all about Birds.