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Hammock Coast Birding Festival

Make plans for the 2nd Annual Hammock Coast Birding Festival, set for February 2024

Birders have flocked – yeah, we said it — to South Carolina’s Hammock Coast for years to enjoy our unique coastal area that’s home, throughout the year, to more than 300 species of birds. Southern Living noted that the area is the best birding site on the East Coast, and experts at Clemson University have said the region offers the best birding opportunities in South Carolina.

When it comes to an overall birding experience, there’s nothing quite like the Hammock Coast with its miles of pristine beaches, marshes and rivers teeming with birds and waterfowl, as well as tens of thousands of acres of protected forests. That’s why we’ve teamed up with four of our premier birding locations to offer the 2024 Hammock Coast Birding Festival in February. Our first festival was held Feb. 10-12 in 2023. The event attracted birders from 17 states and Canada with dozens of species observed. Many attendees were able to add extensively to their life list.

We have not set a specific date for the 2024 festival, so just watch this space for updates.

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Why February? Well, it’s one of the best times of the year for migrating winter birds, especially waterfowl. Our area also has locations where the increasingly rare Red-Cockaded Woodpecker can be found, as well as other birds such as the Swallow-Tailed Kite, the Rosette Spoonbill and more. Nestled between Charleston and Myrtle Beach, the Hammock Coast has long been a draw for visitors seeking a more laidback and nature-centric vacation, and birds seek out our area, too — either as an all-year-long home or a stop over on their trips north and south.

Our festival will offer three days of tours, presentations and speakers — and, most importantly, special tours and access to Brookgreen Gardens, Hobcaw Barony, Huntington Beach State Park, and the Tom Yawkey Wildlife Center. Those four areas combined offer more than 50,000 acres of protected land where birds of all kinds live and thrive. Some of the areas where festival goers will be able to tour are rarely open to the general public.

This is a rare opportunity to hear from experts who live and work here, offering an opportunity for first-hand experience about the birds that call the Hammock Coast home.

KEYNOTE SPEAKER AT OUR 2023 FESTIVAL

Peter Alden, world-renowned naturalist, lecturer, ecotourism guide and author of 15 books on North American and African wildlife, including the National Audubon Society’s Regional Field Guide Series, was our keynote speaker at our 2023 festival. He is considered to be an authority on birds and larger mammals of the world and is often consulted by the media and the ecotourism industry for his expertise. Peter is also a highly entertaining and widely sought-after lecturer on topics that include world wildlife, the Polar regions, invasive plants and biodiversity of the northeast.

Peter even took some of the birding tours with attendees, adding his expertise far beyond his lecture.

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BROOKGREEN GARDENS

Founded in 1931 by Archer and Anna Hyatt Huntington, Brookgreen Gardens in Murrells Inlet has been described as a unique melding of art, nature and history. With the slogan “Ever Changing, Simply Amazing,” it features life-sized sculptures by Anna Huntington and other artists throughout the 9,100-acre property. Brookgreen Gardens is one of America’s premier sculpture gardens which also offers a zoo with animals native to the area. For the festival, Brookgreen will offer exclusive tours by land and by boat with a local expert to offer insight about the birds that can be seen in this extraordinary setting. As a bonus, your ticket to Brookgreen isn’t just good for your festival tour — it’s good for the whole week, providing you access to the full gardens, as well as art galleries and the Lowcountry Zoo, if you choose to extend your visit to South Carolina’s Hammock Coast.

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HOBCAW BARONY

Slightly north of historic Georgetown, Hobcaw Barony is a 16,000-acre preserve and wildlife refuge owned by The Belle W. Baruch Foundation. Historically, it was the winter residence of presidential adviser and Wall Street millionaire Bernard M. Baruch. Open to the public through expertly guided tours, visitors see the 13,500-square-foot mansion he called home and where he hosted such visitors as President Franklin D. Roosevelt and Winston Churchill. Other areas in the refuge include the grounds and stables of Bellefield Plantation and a salt marsh boardwalk. For the festival, tours will not only provide access to the historic aspects of Hobcaw but will, through the aid of experts, provide details on the birds that can be found there. Hobcaw is important for its location at the mouth of Winyah Bay and its extensive longleaf pine forests with Red-cockaded Woodpecker colonies and excellent Bachman’s Sparrow habitat.

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HUNTINGTON BEACH STATE PARK

A 2,500-acre coastal nature preserve, Huntington Beach State Park in Murrells Inlet features a pristine, rarely crowded beach and some of the best birding in all of South Carolina, with more than 330 bird species logged at the park. Ranger Mike Walker will offer various tours, especially designed for the festival about the birds and habitat offered at one of the most beautiful state parks in the USA. Walker will take attendees along the Atlantic Ocean to visit a jetty that attracts visiting waterfowl throughout the year – and especially during winter migrations. Hiking trails throughout the park bring birders and other nature enthusiasts together for amazing wildlife viewing opportunities. The park also features Atalaya Castle, the one-time home of Archer and Anna Huntington, founders of nearby Brookgreen Gardens.

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THE TOM YAWKEY WILDLIFE CENTER

The southern-most area for the festival will take attendees to the Tom Yawkey Wildlife Center, which spans more than 24,000 acres and shifts from longleaf pine forest to maritime forest and ocean beach with marshes and managed wetlands in between. More than 200 different species of birds and a host of mammals, reptiles, amphibians, fish, and insects live there. The center encompasses North Island, South Island, and the majority of Cat Island in Georgetown County’s portion of the Intracoastal Waterway at the mouth of Winyah Bay. The center remains a reflection of Yawkey’s vision, a place where animals and natural ecosystems can thrive, and people are only an occasional visitor. Festival attendees will be provided special tours by Department of Natural Resources personnel that are rarely offered to the general public.

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Taking Flight

Three friends enjoy a long weekend of birding on the Hammock Coast

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