Charleston Area Bird-watching

This Tour Comes From...

National Geographic Guide to Birdwatching Sites, Eastern U.S.

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Along South Carolina's coast, Francis Marion National Forest and Cape Romain National Wildlife Refuge share the Sewee Visitor and Environmental Education Center on US 17 in Awendaw. Stop here for maps and advice about visiting these two areas before continuing south a short distance to Forest Road 228 (I’on Swamp Road). Drive north, looking for Mississippi Kite, Wild Turkey, Yellow-billed Cuckoo, Barred Owl, and warblers including Yellow-throated, Prothonotary, Swainson’s (uncommon), Kentucky, Hooded, and Northern Parula. You may find the Wayne’s Black-throated Green Warbler here, a subspecies found only along a small section of the Atlantic coast. The I’on Swamp’s most famous bird, though, is a ghost: the extinct Bachman’s Warbler, a swamp dweller once found here but not seen anywhere since the 1960s. CONTINUED

- Francis Marion National Forest
- Francis Beidler Forest Sanctuary and Center
- Bear Island Wildlife Management Area

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Francis Marion National Forest
In about 4 miles [6.4 kilometers], turn right onto Forest Road 202, which runs along a slightly higher ridge with open pinewoods. Look here for the endangered Red-cockaded Woodpecker (Francis Marion has the highest population of these birds in the state), Brown-headed Nuthatch, and Bachman’s Sparrow. Check scrubby areas and clear-cuts for Prairie Warbler and Painted Bunting.
Turn right onto South Carolina 133 south and return to US 17. Driving north to South Carolina 45 at McClellanville, keep north about 6 miles [9.7 kilometers] to the bridge over Wambaw Creek, a good lookout during nesting season for the beautiful Swallow-tailed Kite. Lucky birders might spot this species anywhere in this area, especially if they venture a bit farther to the north, where US 17 crosses the South and North Santee Rivers.
The Moore’s Landing area of Cape Romain National Wildlife Refuge (take See Wee Rd. S off US 17 to Bull’s Island Rd.) is an excellent place to see marsh birds, especially for persons with limited mobility. A pier extends into a salt marsh where American Oystercatcher, Gull-billed Tern, and Black Skimmer can be found, along with shorebirds when the tide is low. This is a good spot for Marbled Godwit in winter, and Painted Bunting nests around the parking lot.
Visitors to Charleston will find two nearby spots of special interest. Across the Cooper River in Mount Pleasant, the Pitt Street Causeway (Royall St. SE from US 17 Bus., then SW a block to Pitt St., following it to SE end) provides easy access to salt marsh and tidal mudflats where Clapper Rail, Marsh Wren, and Seaside Sparrow breed and both Saltmarsh and Nelson’s Sharp-tailed Sparrows have been found in winter. Waders and American Oystercatcher are present all year. For another worthwhile site, take South Carolina 171 southwest of Charleston to Folly Beach and drive to the east end of Ashley Avenue, where you can walk along a closed road excellent for songbirds dur ing fall migration after a cold front. Painted Bunting breeds here, and nearby are lookout points (including a public pier) where you can scan the Atlantic in winter for Northern Gannet and sea ducks.

Francis Beidler Forest Sanctuary and Center

Wild turkeys waddle through Francis Beidler Forest in the Four Holes Swamp, a National Audobon Society Sanctuary.

Photograph © Raymond Gehman/Corbis

The National Audubon Society’s Francis Beidler Forest Sanctuary and Center, off US 178 near Harleyville, protects 11,000 acres [4,451.5 hectares] of bald-cypress-tupelo swamp, including 1,800 acres [728.4 hectares] of old-growth forest. Like the Francis Marion National Forest to the east, the Beidler Forest was damaged by Hurricane Hugo in 1989. Today, visitors can watch the slow but steady recuperation of this splendid natural area. Among the birds seen often along its 1.5-mile [2.4-kilometer] boardwalk are Anhinga; Yellow-crowned Night-Heron; White Ibis; Red-shouldered Hawk; Barred Owl; Red-headed and Pileated Woodpeckers; Yellow-throated Vireo; Fish Crow; Yellow-throated, Prothonotary, Swainson’s, and Hooded Warblers. Ask about bird walks and canoe trips, as well as night walks that allow even the timorous to enjoy the nocturnal sights and sounds of a great southern swamp.

Bear Island Wildlife Management Area

One of the largest wading birds, the endangered wood stork has a wing span of over five feet (1.5 meters).

Photograph © Annie Griffiths Belt/Corbis

Bear Island Wildlife Management Area is a terrific location for waders and marsh birds, with 12,000 acres [4,856.2 hectares] of wetlands, woods, and fields where nesting birds include Least Bittern, White and Glossy Ibises, Mottled Duck, Bald Eagle, Clapper and King Rails, Common Moorhen, Black-necked Stilt, Marsh Wren, and Painted Bunting. Wood Stork is commonly seen among the throngs of herons, egrets, and ibises. Waterfowl and shorebirds are seasonally abundant and easily seen from roads. Bear Island is closed Sundays and from November to late January, though some impoundments can still be seen from a viewing platform adjacent to Bennett’s Point Road (South Carolina 26), which runs through the area south off US 17, just west of Ashepoo.