Lowcountry outdoors: 2021 Hunting Island State Park

Thursday, November 18, 2021

2021 Hunting Island State Park - Wildlife Sightings

Sanderlings scour the beach for food

Hunting Island State Park is the last stop on Highway 21 before crossing the bridge to Fripp Island. The beach has recently been renourished, and the fishing pier at the Nature Center has been rebuilt after damage caused by Hurricane Matthew, so all of the park is accessible presently. Sunny skies and a low tide meant that it was a great time to stop at the Hunting Island Lighthouse and then meander down to the beach. New sand fencing along the dunes and lots of freshly planted sea oats stand out, plus the old metal jetty running towards the rock jetty has been paved over in concrete. Bald eagles could be seen flying overhead, and loads of shorebirds were seen loafing on a nearby sandbar.

Tri-Color Heron with a fresh catch

Switching over to a nature trail through the dunes is when the wildlife really became prevalent. Locating a fresh shed from a diamondback rattlesnake meant that staying on the trail would be prudent. Crossing over an inlet to Little Hunting Island revealed wading birds chasing batifish while a large redfish prowled nearby. Just before the boneyard beach a patch or two of native prickly pear cactus was spotted in the sandy soil. By the shoreline, a flock of sanderlings was busy probing along the boneyard beach, before the tide comes back in to cover it in water. Just below the beach down in a hole are ghost shrimp, and we looked at one close up before returning it.