Carolina Bight Birding Blog
The sound of bird song is like a symphony right now.
Here are the reasons why we should celebrate the diversity of bird species in the Carolina Bight.
The Carolina Bight tells many stories through its history, culture, art, festivals, Spanish Moss draped Live Oaks and tales of the sea. Our area is filled with diversity, just like the nearly 300 species of birds that either inhabit or visit. Often an afterthought, is the story that bird song is telling us, especially right now. Like a conductor standing before an orchestra, the early morning chirps and songs slowly begin, and as the sun rises, we have the crescendo. Those early morning melodies of Northern Cardinals, Carolina Chickadees and Tufted Titmouse, are the opening act and the start of new beginnings for our birds and for us. We should celebrate the diversity of our bird species!
We are in the beginning stages of spring migration. Birds that winter here, will be departing for northern breeding grounds, and birds that winter south of the Carolina Bight, that breed in our area, will be arriving soon. Some birds are year-round residents, some are “tourists”, passing through to begin their breeding journey, either here in our backyards and beautiful live oaks, or thousands of miles away in the Arctic Tundra. Tens of millions of birds, some traveling from Chile and Argentina, rely on our yards, shores, and marshes in the Carolina Bight. We are their first stop after weeks long, nonstop flights. They are seeking shelter, food and safe spaces to rest and recharge, before they begin the next leg of their migration to the Arctic Tundra, or setup local nesting territories.
Birds as small as Ruby Throated Hummingbirds, Painted Buntings a living rainbow in bird form, wading birds like Green Herons and Yellow Crowned Night Herons, majestic Great Egrets and shorebirds like the threatened Red Knot and Hudsonian Whimbrel, rely on our area.
For our backyard birds, ensuring there is fresh water, seed and suet and native flora and fauna are excellent ways to attract birds to your yard. Sharing the spaces of our beaches with vulnerable resident and migratory seabirds and shorebirds, by not walking directly in their path and leashing your dogs are key. Seabirds and shorebirds that nest on our beaches like American Oystercatchers, Least Terns and Wilson’s Plovers will be the benefactors of good practice.
Celebrating the diversity of species in the Carolina Bight by becoming a birdwatcher can also benefit your health and wellness. Stress reduction, lowered blood pressure, boosting mental well-being through increased contact with nature, providing gentle physical exercise, enhancing cognitive function and lowering anxiety and depression are just a few of the health benefits that birdwatching can bring to you. If you have difficulty getting around, you can download the free “Merlin” app, which will help identify the bird species that are singing and vocalizing around you on your front porch or backyard.
This is why the Carolina Bight Birding Center located at 50 Mudbar Road in Okatie, will be a resource for generations to come, a forever legacy project, to celebrate the diversity and quantity of species we are so lucky to be graced with. Not only are we going to be educating the public about our birds, offering classes, events and projects, we will be building an intake and triage center for injured birds on our campus. The goal is to limit stress during long travel times for birds in need of care and the team of amazing volunteers, getting birds treatment earlier and most importantly, saving more birds!
Community support will be key to our success. If you would like our team to speak to your local club or HOA about a variety of topics ranging from backyard bird feeding, photography or to learn more about shorebirds, we would be happy to share our love of birds with you. We also offer tours to the public. For more information, please visit the Carolina Bight Birding Center website Facebook or Instagram pages. Look for announcements on opening dates for the center as well.
Let the birds be with you,
Jenn