Latest posts
Wind turbines are friendlier to birds than oil-and-gas drilling
A member of Seabrook Island Birders shared this interesting article. Birders get nervous when they see landscapes covered in wind turbines. When the wind gets going, their blades can spin at well over 200km per hour. It is easy to imagine careless birds getting chopped to bits. Campaigners often point to the possibility when opposing…
SIB “Bird of the Week” – Killdeer
Killdeer – Charadrius vociferusLength: 10.5″; Wingspan: 24″; Weight: 3.3 oz. I was birding at a horse pasture and was amazed to discover birds I had been searching for at the shore. They were Killdeer. I discovered that the Killdeer are the least water dependent of all shorebirds and can often be seen in farm fields where…
Did you know: Bird Feet or toe-tally cool adaptations
Like us humans, birds are bipedal, walk or stand on two legs. Look at any image of a bird and you will notice the most visible joint pivots like our ankle. What we see as the birds’ leg is really its foot. Nature uses a basic structure over and over; this is called homologous structure.…
Birds and Halloween
To create an idea for a blog for Halloween, I did various Google searches. I finally used Google Bard (an AI tool from Google), using the prompt “Alfred Hitchcock The Birds and birds of Halloween”. The tool responded with the article below. I made no changes other than adding some pictures. Submitted by: Judy Morr…
What’s that bird’s name?
Is this a question you ask yourself (or others) when birding? It could be because you need help identifying it, it could be a senior moment, it could be that its nickname is more memorable that its official name, or it could be because its name has changed. On November 1, the American Ornithological Society…
Eagles and Ibis, No Bears, Oh My!
On a beautiful Sunday, four SIB members visited Bear Island and briefly Donnelly Wildlife Area. 72 species were identified for the day….none of them were bears! It was slightly foggy as we arrived at sunrise but the time at Mary’s Pond was productive. The Tundra Swan had yet to arrive for the winter but we…
“Ask SIB” – What are these Birds?
Can you identify these birds I saw on North Beach two weeks ago? I thought they were a Sandpiper specifies. Thanks Mike Whitfield Mike: You are right, these are a species of sandpiper. If you look closely, you will notice their pale color and straight black bill. As you watched them, they undoubtedly skittered in…
Death of Rudy Mancke
All of us as Seabrook Island Birders mourn the loss of naturalist Rudy Mancke. The South Carolina naturalist and popular host of South Carolina Public Radio’s NatureNotes and SCETV’s NatureScene died Tuesday night at age 78. In April 2017 he gave SIB an interactive presentation on the Natural History of Barrier Islands. His obituary on…
SIB “Bird of the Week” – Cedar Waxwing
Cedar Waxwing – Bombycilla cedrorumLength: 7.25″; Wingspan: 12″; Weight: 1.1 oz. I just love Cedar Waxwings and they are one of my very favorite birds! They are such a cool looking bird with that sleek brown crest that often lies flat over the back of the head. Waxwings are medium-sized gregarious birds that are silky brownish…
Where did they go?
When I have a day off, I like to grab my camera and binoculars and go birding. Whether it’s to take a few photos for SIB’s social media, or to look for new birds to add to my life list, birding, and bird photography, are my stress relief. But when there are no birds, there…
