Edisto Beach, SC

American Oystercatcher by Roger Clark

October 22, 2020

Clapper Rail by Ventures Birding Tours

Register by clicking the ‘book now’ button above, or by contacting the Ventures office. We accept credit cards for an additional fee (2.9% for MC, Visa, Discover; 3.9% for AmEx), but you may also pay by bank transfer, cash, check, or money order. This Venture is limited to 8 participants

Time: We will meet at 6 AM at the Enmarket Convenience Store on Palmetto Drive across from Coot’s Bar and Grill for the drive to Botany Bay Plantation Heritage Preserve. Cost: $65 Unfortunately, our picnic lunches are not currently included in our day trips (until further notice)

An easy morning exploring the shore and marshes along the South Carolina Coast for a variety of waterbirds, sparrows and late migrants. The trails and roads we walk will be flat but they could be muddy, so we recommend good hiking boots.

We will meet at the Enmarket Convenient Store on Palmetto Drive across from Coot’s Bar and Grill for the drive to Botany Bay Plantation Heritage Preserve. Here we will walk to the beachfront and catch sunrise and hopefully witness the mass Whimbrel flight southward off Deveaux Bank. We’ll arrive just past low tide so shore and beach birding should be fantastic! We’ll then walk back through the marshes searching for waders and woodland birds to the parking area where we will continue birding. Over 160 species have been recorded in October for Botany Bay including sea ducks, rails, 17 species of shorebirds, gulls, terns, plenty of passerines and 17 species of warblers! We’ll be watchful for Seaside and Nelson’s Sparrows and the Long-billed Curlew. Almost all of the waders are to be found including Roseate Spoonbill and Wood Stork! We’ll plan to spend most of the morning here then head back to Edisto Beach for lunch. Please provide your own breakfast and snacks.

Following lunch, perhaps at the Sea Cow Eatery, we’ll head over to the Edisto Environmental Learning Center in the Edisto State Park where we’ll search for waders and woodland birds along Big Bay Creek and hopefully find Anhinga. We’ll plan to spend an hour to 1.5 hours here depending on the birding. Then we’ll car pool over to the Point Street Jetty and watch the beach and search the jetty for shorebirds like Ruddy Turnstone and sea birds and ducks including Black Scoter and Red-breasted Merganser. After our tour here, we’ll proceed further south to the Helena Inlet Sound where there should be plenty of gulls, terns, and shorebird activity as well as woodland birds in the wooded areas. We’ll await sunset here as well, and then head to dinner. Piping Plover has been recorded here!

Join us for a day of fall birding at this great birding location - who knows what surprises we may find.