Winter Birding in Cape Romain NWR
Every winter, Chris Crolley and our best birding guides set out on a series of trips to the north end of Cape Romain National Wildlife Refuge to see what they can find. For years, we called this trip the Long-billed Curlew Charter, making this intriguing species our object bird. Sadly, the number of curlews that returned to Cape Romain dwindled and we aren’t seeing this species here anymore.
We set out last weekend (January 19, 2020) with a group of adventurers that ranged from novice birdwatchers to seasoned birders and had a great day on the water. The mate, Scott Depung, kept a running list from the day and it was entered into Cornell Lab of Ornithology’s eBird database. Here are the 37 species (825 individual birds!) that were observed during the 4-hour expedition:
20 Lesser Scaup
87 Bufflehead
6 Hooded Merganser
4 Red-Breasted Merganser
4 Horned Grebe
58 American Oystercatcher
22 Black-bellied Plover
2 Whimbrel
3 Ruddy Turnstone
3 Dunlin
13 Semipalmated/Western Sandpiper
47 Short-billed Dowitcher
2 Greater Yellowlegs
43 Willet
4 Lesser Yellowlegs
68 Ring-billed Gulls
7 Herring Gull
18 Forster’s Tern
6 Common Loon
26 Wood Stork
1 Anhinga
84 Double-crested Cormorant
119 American White Pelican
87 Brown Pelican
13 Great Blue Heron
8 Great Egret
2 Snowy Egret
2 Little Blue Heron
1 Tricolored Heron
3 Black Vulture
22 Turkey Vulture
3 Osprey
11 Northern Harrier
6 Bald Eagle
2 Belted Kingfisher
2 Tree Swallow
5 Red-winged Blackbird
11 Boat-tailed Grackle
Want to come out on our next birding adventure in Cape Romain?
St. Phillips Island & Beaufort Rentals
Offering Kayaks and Paddleboards
Take in the stunning beauty of local creeks and waters from one of our kayaks or SUPs. Walk-ups are welcome or call / text to book and we’ll be ready when you are. All gear and instruction provided.
Call or text 843.884.7684 to book.
Outpost Location
Need A Guide?
If you really want to get a feel for the local history, identify the native wildlife, and get to special places, you'll need someone experienced to show you the way. We'll get you there.
Check out our St. Phillips Island & Beaufort tours.
Shem Creek in Mount Pleasant Rentals
Offering Kayaks and Paddleboards
Take in the stunning beauty of local creeks and waters from one of our kayaks or SUPs. Walk-ups are welcome or call / text to book and we’ll be ready when you are. All gear and instruction provided.
Call or text 843.884.7684 to book.
Outpost Location
Need A Guide?
If you really want to get a feel for the local history, identify the native wildlife, and get to special places, you'll need someone experienced to show you the way. We'll get you there.
Check out our Shem Creek in Mount Pleasant tours.