WEDNESDAY, FEB. 4, 2026, WELCOME AND PACKET PICKUP — and an early bird tour!
9 am-5 pm — In-person packet and credentials pickupGeorgetown County Chamber of Commerce office at 28 Wall Street, Pawleys Island, SC.
2-5 pm — Early-bird tour — Hobcaw Barony (13 participants) [Must pick up credentials no later than 1:15 pm to participate in this tour]
7:30-10:30 am — Tour Black River Cypress Preserve (15 participants)
8-11 am — Jetty Tour at Huntington Beach State Park (15 participants)
8-11 am — The Tom Yawkey Wildlife Center (15 Participants)
8-11 am – From Snapshot to Pro Shot: The Art of Birding Photography with Colin Hocking at the Nature Center at Huntington Beach State Park [Classroom setting, followed by park photography sessions] (Noted photographer Colin Hocking earned a BS in Photographic Science from the University of Westminster in London, England and is a Licentiate of the Royal Photographic Society, a member of the Professional Photographers of America. He has a passion for photography in the South Carolina Lowcountry.) (15 participants)
8:30-11:30 am – Tour Hobcaw Barony (13 participants)
9:15-10 am — Creek Tour by Barge at Brookgreen Gardens (32 participants)
10:15-11:45 am — Longleaf Pine Tour at Brookgreen Gardens (13 participants)
10:15-11:45 — Winter Waterfowl Tour at Huntington Beach State Park (15
participants)
Noon-3 pm – Black River Cypress Preserve (15 participants)
Noon-3 pm — Jetty Tour at Huntington Beach State Park (15 participants)
Noon-3 pm — The Tom Yawkey Wildlife Center. (14 participants)
Noon-3 pm — Hobcaw Barony (13 participants)
1-2 pm — Trash & National Treasures: Botanist Maureen Mulligan takes you on a tour by van at the Georgetown County Landfill to see America’s national bird, the Bald Eagle, vultures, crows, gulls, and other birds at the highest peak in the county. (14 participants)
2:15-3:45 pm — Longleaf Pine Tour at Brookgreen Gardens (13 participants)
2:15-3:45 pm — Winter Waterfowl Tour at Huntington Beach State Park (15 participants)
4-4:45 pm — Creek Tour by Barge at Brookgreen Gardens (32 participants)
4-5 pm – Avian Conservation Center’s Birds of Prey Presentation just outside
Atalaya Castle at Huntington Beach State Park (75 participants)
5:45-7 pm – First-Day Happy Hour at the Oceanfront Litchfield Inn (Free appetizers and cash bar featuring signature drink, the Rosette Spoonbill.) (100 participants)
:30-10:30 am — Black River Cypress Preserve (15 participants)
8:30-11:30 — Hobcaw Barony (13 participants)
8:30-10 am — Longleaf Pine Tour at Brookgreen Gardens (13 participants)
8:30-10 am — Winter Waterfowl Tour at Huntington Beach State Park (15 participants)
10:15-11 am — Creek Tour by Barge at Brookgreen Gardens (32 participants)
10:15-11:15 am — Guided Walking Tour of the Lowcountry Zoo Aviary (15 participants)
11:30-1:30 pm – Showing of “Purple Haze: A Conservation Film” and discussion with
filmmaker Zach Steinhouser at the Waccamaw Branch Library (75 participants)
Noon-3 pm — The Tom Yawkey Wildlife Center (14 Participants)
12:30-3:30 pm — Hobcaw Barony Tour. (13 participants)
1:45-3:15 pm — Winter Waterfowl Tour at Huntington Beach State Park (15
1:45-3:15— Longleaf Pine Tour at Brookgreen Gardens (13 participants)
1:45-3:15– Feathers From Above: Take an artistic flight with award-winning artist Ronald Navroski and learn how to paint a Northern Cardinal on … a feather. Yes, a feather! Location: Learning Lab 2 at the Lowcountry Center at Brookgreen Gardens. (15 participants)
1:45-2:45 pm — Guided Walking Tour of the Lowcountry Zoo Aviary at Brookgreen Gardens. (15 participants)
3:15-5 pm – The Coastal Plain’s Best Anglers (Dive into the fascinating world of fish-eating birds) with Kristina Wheeler [Lecture and Walk, Presented at the Nature Center at Huntington Beach State Park] (20 participants)
3:30-4:15 pm — Creek Tour by Barge at Brookgreen Gardens (32 participants)
3:30-4:30 pm — Trash & National Treasures: Take a tour of the Georgetown County Landfill with botanist Maureen Mulligan to see the national bird, the Bald Eagle, vultures, crows, gulls and other birds. (14 participants)
4-5 pm — Lecture: Scott Harris, author of “Why We Love Birds (Interviews with Top 52 Birders in the Country) at Brookgreen Gardens Auditorium. (60 participants)
5:45-7:45 pm – Dinner with Keynote Speaker Dr. Patrick McMillan at Pawleys Plantation (Cash Bar available) (All festival attendees)
7:30-10:30 am — Black River Cypress Preserve (15 participants)
8-noon — [GOLDEN TICKET TIER ONLY] The Tom Yawkey Wildlife Center with special guide Dr. Patrick McMillan (14 Participants) [GOLDEN TICKET TIER ONLY]
8:30-10 am— Longleaf Pine Tour at Brookgreen Gardens (13 participants)
8:30-10 am — Bird Walk & Bird Photography Presentation by George DeCamp at Brookgreen Gardens. (Have your cameras ready for a morning walk through Brookgreen Gardens with international award-winning photographer George DeCamp. Afterward, enjoy a presentation of his portfolio and learn more about the birds of the Lowcountry.) (20 participants)
11:30-12:30 pm — Guided Walking Tour of the Lowcountry Zoo Aviary (15 participants)
11:30 am-1 pm — Lecture and Meet the Author. Tom Austin will talk about and sign copies of his book, “The Flora and Fauna of Edisto Island and the Lowcountry Sea Islands,” a coffee-table book with photos and accounts for birds, plants and animals found across the sea Islands of South Carolina. The book will be for sale and can be signed and personalized by the author. [Location: Litchfield Books, 11421 Ocean Hwy, Pawleys Island, next to The Fresh Market] (20 participants)
11:30–1 pm – Feathers From Above: Take an artistic flight with award-winning artist Ronald Navroski and learn how to paint a Northern Cardinal on … a feather. Yes, a feather! Location: Learning Lab 2 at the Lowcountry Center at Brookgreen Gardens. (15 participants)
11:30-1:15 pm – The Coastal Plain’s Best Anglers (Dive into the fascinating world of fish-eating birds) with Kristina Wheeler [Lecture and Walk, Presented at the Nature Center at Huntington Beach State Park] (20 participants)
11:30 am-2:30 pm — Jetty Tour at Huntington Beach State Park (15 participants)
12:45-4:15 pm – [GOLDEN TICKET TIER ONLY] Lunch and tour of Black River Cypress Preserve with special guest Dr. Patrick McMillan and (14 participants) [GOLDEN TICKET TIER ONLY]
12:45-3:45 pm — The Tom Yawkey Wildlife Center (14 Participants)
12:45-3:45 pm – From Snapshot to Pro Shot: The Art of Birding Photography with Colin Hocking at the Nature Center at Huntington Beach State Park [Classroom setting, followed by park photography sessions] (Noted photographer Colin Hocking earned a BS in Photographic Science from the University of Westminster in London, England and is a Licentiate of the Royal Photographic Society, a member of the Professional Photographers of America. He has a passion for photography in the South Carolina Lowcountry.) (15 participants)
1:45-2:30 pm — Creek Tour by Barge at Brookgreen Gardens (32 participants)
2:45-4:15 pm — Lecture and Meet the Author. Tom Austin will talk about and sign copies of his book, “The Flora and Fauna of Edisto Island and the Lowcountry Sea Islands,” a coffee-table book with photos and accounts for birds, plants and animals found across the sea Islands of South Carolina. The book will be for sale and can be signed and personalized by the author. [Location: Litchfield Books, 11421 Ocean Hwy, Pawleys Island, next to The Fresh Market] (20 participants)
2:45-4:15 pm — Winter Waterfowl Tour at Huntington Beach State Park (15 participants)
2:45-4:15 pm — Longleaf Pine Tour at Brookgreen Gardens (13 participants)
3-4 pm — Trash & National Treasures: Take a tour to the highest peak in Georgetown County: the landfill. Van tour with botanist Maureen Mulligan with a stop at the landfill to see the national bird, the Bald Eagle, vultures, crows, gulls, and other birds. (14participants)
5:45-7:45 pm – Delicious dinner and dessert for all attendees. (Door Prizes) (Cash Bar available) (125 participants)
8-9:30 am— Longleaf Pine Forest Tour at Brookgreen Gardens (13 participants)
8-11 am — Jetty Tour at Huntington Beach State Park (18 participants)
8-11 am — The Tom Yawkey Wildlife Center (14 Participants)
9-10 am — Trash & National Treasures: Take a tour to the highest peak in Georgetown County: the landfill. Van tour with botanist Maureen Mulligan with a stop at the landfill to see the national bird, the Bald Eagle, and other birds. (14 participants)
9:45-11:30 pm – The Coastal Plain’s Best Anglers (Dive into the fascinating world of fish-eating birds) with Kristina Wheeler [Lecture and Walk, Presented at the Nature Center at Huntington Beach State Park] (20 participants)
11:45 am-1:15 pm — Winter Waterfowl Tour at Huntington Beach State Park (15 participants)
11:45 am-1:15 pm — Longleaf Pine Forest Tour at Brookgreen Gardens (13 participants)
11:45 am-1 pm – Photography Review with Colin Hocking at the Nature Center at Huntington Beach State Park. (Share your photos you’ve taken during the festival with Colin and let him critique your photo skills.) (25 participants)
Noon-1 pm — Guided Walking Tour of the Lowcountry Zoo Aviary (15 participants)
1:30-2:15 pm — Final Lecture: The Challenge of Caring for Birds – Brookgreen Gardens Auditorium. (The staff of the Lowcountry Zoo details how workers care for birds and how the zoo is helping understand birds in the wild.) (75 participants)
