What’s new and exciting about the 5th annual Hammock Coast Birding Festival?

What’s new and exciting about the 5th annual Hammock Coast Birding Festival?

Birders from all over the United States – and Canada, too – have flocked to the Hammock Coast for the past four years for a chance to take part in the Hammock Coast Birding Festival, but the 2027 festival is shaping up to be the best one yet.

As registration for the fifth annual festival, set for Feb. 4-7, 2027, draws closer, planners are ready to showcase what’s new, different and special about the 5th annual Hammock Coast Birding Festival. Registration opens Monday, Oct. 26, 2026, for Golden Ticket attendees, followed by registration for All-Inclusive registrants on Tuesday, Oct. 27. Finally, A-La-Carte registration will open Monday, Nov. 16.

“There’s something truly special about the Hammock Coast Birding Festival,” said Mark A. Stevens, director of tourism development for the Georgetown County of Commerce, which oversees the event. “In a lot of ways, things will very much be the same for our fifth annual Birding Festival. We will still have special birding tours at Black River Cypress Preserve, Brookgreen Gardens, Hobcaw Barony, Huntington Beach State Park and the Tom Yawkey Wildlife Center that can only be accessed through registration for the festival. Emmy Award-winner Dr. Patrick McMillan will also be back as our keynote speaker, but we have a few new and exciting additions, too.”

New additions include an exciting sojourn off the Hammock Coast; a second day of Golden Ticket opportunities; newly added Owl Prowls; and more.

First, the Golden Ticket” event with Dr. McMillan will now be offered two days rather than just one. The “Golden Ticket,” first introduced at the 2026 festival, gave 15 attendees the chance to spend the day birding with Dr. McMillan, a renowned naturalist and birder. In 2026, the Golden Ticket day began for attendees with transportation aboard a luxury van for travel to all of the day’s itineraries, which included the sprawling and diverse Tom Yawkey Wildlife Center; a catered lunch at Wicklow Hall, a Lowcountry luxury bed-and-breakfast; and a tour of the Black River Cypress Preserve.

The 2026 Golden Ticket sold out in just four minutes.

“Just like that, it was full,” Stevens said. “We knew it would be popular, but we had to admit that selling out in just four minutes surprised us. A pleasant surprise, I might add.”

Golden Ticket Expands to Two Days for 2027 Hammock Coast Birding Festival

For the 2027 festival, the Golden Ticket has expanded to two days, meaning 30 attendees can take advantage of the special day with Dr. McMillan. Once again, Golden Ticket holders will receive luxury van transportation, a day spent with Dr. McMillan and lunch at Wicklow Hall. This year, instead of a tour at the Black River Cypress Preserve, registrants will take a Jetty Tour with Dr. McMillan at Huntington Beach State Park in Murrells Inlet.

The cost of the Golden Ticket registration is $545 and also provides all-inclusive registration for all other days of the festival, two evening dinners, an official 2027 Birding Festival shirt and more. Those opting for the Golden Ticket registration will have access to pre-registration before the all-inclusive registration opens Oct. 27.

Dates for the Golden Ticket tours are Thursday, Feb. 4, and Saturday, Feb. 6. Those registering for the Golden Ticket will choose one of the two dates offered. There are 15 slots per day.

“We are so grateful to Dr. McMillan for enthusiastically agreeing to do two days of birding with 30 of our lucky attendees, in addition to his always well-received keynote speech,” Stevens said.

Cape Romain tour part of 2027 Hammock Coast Birding Festival

Also new for the Hammock Coast Birding Festival is the North Cape Romain Birding Cruise, a very special tour on Friday, Feb. 5, from 8-11 a.m. that begins in McClellanville, just south of the Hammock Coast in Charleston County.

Hosted by Coastal Expeditions, which is serving as the Presenting Sponsor for the 2027 Hammock Coast Birding Festival, the Cape Romain tour is a unique opportunity for a birding adventure inside the Class 1 Wilderness within the northern area of Cape Romain National Wildlife Refuge. This trip takes registrants through the winding creeks of the estuaries through essential habitats in search of specialized and vulnerable species like Seaside Sparrow, Saltmarsh Sparrow, Nelson’s Sparrow, Marsh Wren, and Clapper Rail. These creeks all lead to the ephemeral islands on the edge of the North American continent that are home to a myriad of migratory and resident shorebird and seabird species. Tour guides will also be on the search for raptors like Northern Harriers, Bald Eagles and Peregrine Falcons. The historic Cape Romain lighthouses will be also be seen from a distance and participants will also be able to look out for the area’s resident bottlenose dolphins.

“This is the first tour we’ve ever done outside Georgetown County,” Stevens said, “and it’s only made possible because of Capt. Chris Crolley and his team at Coastal Expeditions. Their commitment as storytellers and preservationists working to connect people to the beauty of nature in South Carolina’s Lowcountry is amazing and inspirational.”

It was, in fact, Dr. McMillan who recommended that the festival look to Coastal Expeditions as an expansion for the Hammock Coast Birding Festival.

“Once we started talking to Chris, it became clear right away why Southern Living once said that Coastal Expeditions‘ “knowledge of barrier islands is unmatched,’ and we are so happy to have them to be part of our 2027 festival.”

The Coastal Expeditions tour is open to only 34 registrants.

If the expanded Golden Ticket tours and the addition of the Camp Romain tour weren’t enough to be happy about, there’s even more to report that’s new to the festival.

Owl Prowls, more added to 2027 Hammock Coast Birding Festival

While the Hammock Coast Birding Festival has traditionally happened during daylight hours (with the exception of two evening meals), the 2027 festival is taking a sojourn into the night – specifically two Owl Prowls, hosted by longtime guide and presenter Kristina Wheeler.

On Wednesday, Feb. 3, which is Registration Day, and on Thursday, Feb. 4, Wheeler will lead registrants on evening tours of Brookgreen Gardens in search of owls, night herons, bats and other winged creatures of the night.

Also new to the 2027 festival are two speaking engagements by Cacky Rivers, a noted photographer and author of “Grounded In Flight” and “Born & Raised,” both of which feature her extraordinary bird photography and birding experiences.

Born in Charleston, South Carolina, Rivers calls herself “a true Lowcountry ‘salty’ girl.” She earned her deep love of wildlife, nature and, especially, birds from her father, who, as a college graduation present, gifted her a Peterson’s bird book and a pair of binoculars. The inscription read, “slow down and enjoy!” She took that to heart and learned to look up — to see and appreciate birds.

Birding, Rivers said, is her true passion. “But,” she adds, “I also enjoy learning and sharing my knowledge of birds with others. It brings me so much joy knowing I can be an advocate for our fine feathered friends.”

Rivers will host a walk and talk at Brookgreen Gardens on Registration Day, Wednesday, Feb. 3, and again on Thursday, Feb. 4.

Other new additions include revised sessions from longtime Hammock Coast Birding Festival instructor, photographer Colin Hocking, who will not only offer classes on improving your photography skills but will also host a session titled “The Eagles of Caw Caw.”

Also new to the 2027 festival will be a talk by Robin Salmon, Brookgreen Gardens’ vice president or art and historical collections and curator of sculptures, who will lead a discussion Sunday, Feb. 7, of some of Brookgreen’s bird sculptures by artists Paul Manship and Grainger McKoy.

In the end, old favorites will also remain — from creek tours by barge at Brookgreen Gardens and Winter Waterfowl tours at Huntington Beach State Park to painting classes with Ron Navroski and a fun-filled Happy Hour on the Hammock Coast.

“We are keeping all our longtime tours and events,” Stevens said, “and adding some new things to really make the 5th annual Hammock Coast Birding Festival shine like never before. We’ve welcomed birders from nearly 30 states and Canada to our festival over the years, and they’ve been some of the nicest people you will ever want to meet. I think we enjoy hosting them as much as they enjoy birding here on the Hammock Coast.”

When and how to register for the 2027 Hammock Coast Birding Festival

Registration opens in three stages for the 5th annual Hammock Coast Birding Festival and comes in three divisions: Golden Ticket, All-Inclusive, and A-La-Carte.

First up is a special registration for the Golden Ticket, which will open Monday, Oct. 26, 2026, at noon. Only 30 spots are available for the two 15-person Golden Ticket tours that will be hosted by Dr. Patrick McMillan. The cost is $545 per person and includes all day with the Emmy Award-winning naturalist with special transportation by luxury van; an expanded, nearly 4-hour tour of the Tom Yawkey Wildlife Center; a gourmet lunch at Wicklow Hall; and a Jetty Tour at Huntington Beach State Park. Those signing up for the Golden Ticket will have a three-hour advance window to also sign up for as many additional tours, events, etc. as they wish and can fit into their schedule. This provides a three-hour window before the All-Inclusive registration opens Monday, Oct. 26, at 2 p.m. Golden Ticket registrants also receive a 2027 Hammock Coast Birding Festival shirt, an enhanced swag bag and tickets to both the Friday and Saturday night dinners.

The All-inclusive Registration opens Tuesday, Oct. 27, 2026, at noon and is $375 per person. This registration allows you to choose as many tours, events, etc. as can be fit into your schedule. It also includes the Friday and Saturday night dinners, an official Hammock Coast Birding Festival T-shirt and a swag bag.

The third and final type of registration is the A-La-Carte Ticket, which opens Monday, Nov. 16, 2026, at noon. The cost is $79 per person and includes a ticket to the Friday night keynote dinner, a Hammock Coast Birding Festival shirt and the ability to sign up for tours, events, etc. that are priced individually.

(Please note that dates and prices for registration are subject to change up to the date of registration.)

First Hammock Coast Birding Festival held in 2024

The first Hammock Coast Birding Festival was held in February 2024. Past festivals have attracted birdwatchers from as far away as California, Utah, Nebraska, Wyoming, Montana, Michigan, Oregon, and even Canada, as well as up and down the East Coast.

During the festival, each tour location has areas that can attract a variety of birds, from songbirds, ducks, wading birds like herons, and raptors, such as eagles and hawks. The endangered Red-cockaded Woodpecker, which has habitat at Brookgreen, Yawkey and Hobcaw, was has been each year by several of the attendees. Many attendees reported “life birds,” a term used when logging the first time seeing a specific species.

In addition to tours, the festival always includes a showing of “Purple Haze: A Conservation Film,” a documentary about Purple Martins by South Carolinian filmmaker Zach Steinhauser; a program at the state park featuring raptors presented by the Center for Birds of Prey; and a concluding program on Sunday by Brookgreen Gardens’ staff on conservation efforts and the care of birds at the Lowcountry Zoo.

One of the popular tours returning, which is called “Trash and National Treasures,” is a tour of the highest peak in Georgetown County — the landfill, which attracts many different types of birds, but most notably Bald Eagles. Tourgoers who have taken the tour have said it’s awesome to see so many eagles in one place. Other birds at the landfill include ravens, crows, various gulls and more. The tour is led by Maureen Mulligan, a botanist and author.

“I thought it was fabulous,” Camilla Herlevich from Wilmington, North Carolina, said of the landfill tour. “There were more birds than I had anticipated, especially Bald Eagles.”

Toni Stanton, also from Wilmington, said she loved seeing the eagles, but a life bird caught her eye during a tour in February 2025

“It was my first Kestrel, which was really exciting,” she said. “And to see so many was really amazing.”

One of the highlights of every festival is the Friday evening dinner at Pawleys Plantation featuring the keynote address by Dr. McMillan, who told attendees just how lucky they were to be on the Hammock Coast, recognized as one of the best birding sites on the East Coast, and how important birds are to the future of the world.

Dr. McMillan said he has a whole new program planned for the 2027 festival.

To find out more about the 2027 festival, follow the Hammock Coast on social media and look for updates HERE.

By Clayton Stairs / tourism manager for the Georgetown County Chamber of Commerce and South Carolina’s Hammock Coast®

Background photos by Colin Hocking.