2024 Beidler Forest - 50th Anniversary Celebration

 Check back soon for the photos and report....

2024 Professional Outdoor Media visit Pinewood, S.C.

POMA members at the SCWA waterfowl overlook
after riding in the Honda Pioneer 1000

The annual membership meeting for the Professional Outdoors Media Association (POMA) rotates throughout the U.S. and the 2024 meeting was held in South Carolina. This was POMA's first meeting in S.C. since 2013 but I predict they will return to the Palmetto State sooner rather than later thanks to media-friendly host, South Carolina Waterfowl Association (SCWA). SCWA is transforming their footprint from a hunting operation, to a newly expanded campus for shooting sports and corporate meetings, with the proceeds to benefit youth education operations on site. The setting along the banks of Lake Marion and Lake Moultrie is where meeting co-sponsor Santee Cooper Country operates 12 months out of the year, and plenty of hunting and fishing opportunities abound for both locals and visitors.

Chef Danny Hieronymus after his 
Lowcountry Boil cooking demo

The POMA meeting did not fall during a hunt season, but the first order of business was to send writer sea photographers out on the Lake for a Monday morning fishing trip for catfish! The three-day conference ran from Monday, May 6 though May 8 and features a jam-packed schedule of sessions focused on content creation, gear access and even first-aid education. POMA members coming from many states gather together for all meals and lodging which creates a setting where idea exchanges can take place, and future stories can blossom. SCWA founder David Wielicki received an award for POMA one day, and was back to giving personally-guided tours to media members the next day.  SCWA marketing director Mark Copley is the contact to learn more about the future at SCWA.

POMA members during Airboat Ride 

To view past blog entries from POMA click on 2014 / Knoxville, TN. - 2013 / Columbia, S.C.

To view past blog entries from SEOPA click on 2018 / Florence, S.C. - 2015 Eufala, Alabama - 2014 / Fonatana, N.C. - 2013 / SW Louisiana - 2012 / East TN. - 2009 / Punta Gorda, Florida

Range Day is always a favorite 

2024 Birding Journal Observations - March / April

Male House Finch feeding a juvenile 4/26

Another mild winter came with a deluge of rain in March and April that recharged swamps to 'high tide' levels. This wet footprint on the landscape may have helped lead to several cool mornings and a fine Spring season. The neotropical migration season that comes during March and April seemed a bit delayed this year, with many first sighting not coming until April, and then many of those sightings were fleeting glimpses of birds that were solidly on the move to the North. Indigo bunting, Orchard oriole and rose-breasted grosbeak just cruised on through while blue grosbeak and summer tanager took up their stations for the remainder of the summer. The first hummingbirds I saw in Mid-April were migratory, and the ones electing to stick around came later in April.

Hawk in a Tree 4/10

To view the most recent Birding Journal Observations click on January / February 2024

To view past Birding Journal Observations from March / April click on 2023 -  2022- 2021- 2018-  2017 - 2016- 2015 - 2014 - 2013 - 2012 - 2011 - 2010 - 2009 

Swallow-tailed Kite and Wood Stork 4/3

2024 Turkey Season - Last Day Hunt Drama

Last Day of Turkey Season Success

Who has ever said I have all the time I need in the Spring to hunt wild turkeys? Not hardly anyone, and I joined that club in 2024 with work conflicts, family commitments, and rainy / windy days all adding up to zero turkeys harvested with one day in the '24 hunt season left. I did have time to scout some along the second half of April, enough to know the whereabouts of some turkeys, and to have heard a few gobbles in the early morning. The hunting gear was dusted off and ready to go at a moments notice, but mostly it was just in the way on the back of a chair throughout April. However, there was never a panic or a shrug about a lost season either. It was just a period of time when I was not in the woods at dawn very much. 

The plan for April 30 was to clear the schedule so that I could hit the woods at dawn, and then hunt as long as needed in hopes of tagging a gobbler. At 6 a.m. I was on a creek bottom where turkeys had frequented in the past, but this year it had been wet late in the season, and as day broke I was nowhere near a turkey, but I did hear a mature tom in the distance and a young tom a bit nearer. No need to pursue a young tom, even if it is the Final Day, so I loaded my gear and began to rummage my way though the woods to strike a gobbler. Nothing. Wildlife was spotted, but the turkeys were invisible. It was 9:30 when I heard a tom gobble loud and clear, and I knew this was it, and suddenly the gear that had been heavy over 3.5-hours of prospecting felt just fine, and I crept slowly and silently towards the gobbler.

Mid-morning Set up April 30

I set up in a spot in the woods where a thicket was on my right and the gobbler was 100-yards ahead of me. I needed the gobbler to approach me satellite-style in order for me to have a shot. He would not budge, so I made a move a bit closer, and then it was on. He came towards me gobbling and strutting, and I could hear ever puff when his feathers blowing up. To be sure, he slowed down and started looking for the hen that my calls told him was nearby. This only served to increase the chance I would be detected, and that I should remain as still as a statue. I listened as the gobbler circled me, not daring a glimpse. As my limbs began to tighten up from the pressure, I never forgot this hunt would come down to my ability to aim the shotgun when the time was right. With only one shotgun shell in my gun, I swung my gun to the left and drew a bead on the head of the gobbler and squeezed the trigger with confidence.

To view blog entries on past turkey hunts click 2019 - 2016- 2015 - 2014 - 2013 - 2012 - 2010 - 2009 

2024 Carolina Bird Club - Spring Meeting

Donnelly WMA birding on 4/26

The Spring meeting of the Carolina Bird Club came to Charleston April 26 - 28 and birders from across the Carolinas were in attendance. Beginning Friday morning, birders fanned out across the Lowcountry to known birding places up and down the coast. My job as leader at Donnelley WMA was to meet a party of 15 at 7:45 and show them the water features and birdy locales that I know on this property. Everyone was greeted by Wood Storks standing beside the road near the front gate, and it wasn't long and we saw a range of other birds such as summer tanager, mottled duck and anhinga. A cool morning with a strong breeze meant that everything was stirring and we experience the kind of magical day when 74 species were revealed to us by noon. On Friday afternoon, I joined a group of birders at Seabrook Island led by Judy More and we visited a rookery of herons that was exquisite, and included an osprey nest. 

Photographer making pics of Red Knots from a safe distance

To view past birding trips from 2024 click on Earth Day / Kiawah - Spring Island - Southeast Shorebird Festival - Hammock Coast Birding Festival - Huntington Beach State Park - Yawkey Center - Yemassee CBC - Edisto CBC 

Beautiful Bald Eagle with Nesting Material

2024 Kiawah Conservancy - Earth Day Birding

2024 was my second year joining the Kiawah Conservancy for Earth Day, and it was a spectacular day

Black-necked Stilts on the beach

to be on a barrier island. Crisp cool weather and breezy conditions persisted all day, and it never did really get warm. A piece of property on Kiawah under a conservation easement known as The Preserve was the meeting place for this naturalizations walk with a Staffer. We traversed trails that shows signs of recent saltwater intrusion due to high tides and NE winds. A large observation tower there overlooks a beautiful pond that is situated between two linear hummocks that were actually once front beach sand dunes. A stunning trio-color heron was fishing there, and had the prettiest blue beak I could remember seeing. A kingfisher, egret and alligator rounded out the pond sightings. When I looked into nearby pine trees, and we were now at tree top level in the tower, I heard and then spied a male painted bunting perched on a dead limb in the sun. We heard a bald eagle and an osprey and took time to notice glasswort and dragonflies too. I stopped at the beach afterward and saw red knots, and some black-necked stilts. 

Painted Bunting at The Preserve 

To view past birding trips from 2024 click on Carolina Bird Club - Southeast Shorebird Festival - Hammock Coast Birding Festival - Huntington Beach State Park - Yawkey Center - Yemassee CBC - Edisto CBC 

Black scoters surfing on Earth Day

2024 Charleston Race Week at Patriots Point

2024 Race Locations Map

The 2024 Charleston Race Week (CRW) was the second year being based out of the Yorktown, after and long run next door at Charleston Harbor Resort. A name change was unveiled in 2024 regrading the new partnership with Mt. Pleasant and the East of the Cooper Community, and is now known as Charleston Race Week at Patriots Point. A unique Pro-Am sailing format is not included in the regular three-day format, pairing local high school sailors with some of CRW's veteran crew for a hands on learning experience under sail. Charleston Harbor still is home to all the races, but now al the shoreside suppers are held on the hanger deck of the Yorktown, amid the Naval History Museum nostalgia.

Team Flamingo sailing inshore

To read my feature article on 2024 CRW in the Post and Courier click on Tideline.

To view past blog entries from Charleston Race Week click on 2021 - 2018- 2017 - 2016 - 2015 - 2014 - 2013 - 2012 - 2011 - 2010 - 2009  

2024 Spring Island - Spring Birding

Sedge Wren in morning light

The Fripp Island Audubon Club visited Spring Island on April 5 to look for signs of migration. Meeting ornithologist Andy Jones at the Trust Barn allowed everyone to load up onto the wagon for a trailer ride birding experience. Our travels began on the edge of land in a marshy area that is known for shorebirds and sparrows, and we saw several of each. The next stop was a maritime forest to let the group marvel at the range of species of trees that occur there. We rode by impoundments, open fields and even went to a towering hill of dirt, all in search for birds. One stop in particular was more exciting for me, since it was my first glimpse of the wood stork rookery at Spring Island. Even though I had taken the Master Naturalist class at Spring Island, the rookery was new to me! The grand finale was driving under a live oak allee' near the golf course where many warblers were flitting about in the Spanish moss and tree tops.

Fripp Audubon Birders

To view past birding trips from 2024 click on Carolina Bird Club - Earth Day / Kiawah - Southeast Shorebird Festival - Hammock Coast Birding Festival - Huntington Beach State Park - Yawkey Center - Yemassee CBC - Edisto CBC 

Wood Stork with nesting material

2024 Southeast Shorebird Festival - Kiawah Island Events

2024 Logo

The 2024 Southeast Shorebird Festival saw many changes from the Inaugural 2023 Sea Island Shorebird Festival. (including a name change) But one similarity it that the Festival kicked off at The Sandcastle meeting facility on Kiawah Island, where birders could meet and greet before going on field trips later in the week. The festival also expanded into the nearby and neighboring state of Georgia, offering tours at Tybee Island and St. Mary's Island. The festival also expanded to the North, with a field trip to Santee Coastal WMA and a boat ride trip up at Murrell's Inlet.

Beachwalker Park Shorebird Walk March 28 on Kiawah

To read my feature article on the 2024 SE Shorebird Festival click on Tideline.

To view past blog entries on shorebirds click 2023 Tom Yawkey Center - 2023 Wings Over Beaufort Festival - 2023 Hunting Island State Park - 2022 Harbor Island Shorebird Walk- 2020 Shorebird Protection on Botany Bay WMA -  2018 Shorebirds Talk at Seabrook Island Birders -  2017 Shorebird Symposium by Kiawah Conservancy - 2016 Spring Shorebird Synergy - 2016 The Narrow Edge Book Review - 2015 Manomet Workshop at Yawkey Preserve - 2015 World Shorebird Day - 2014 Moon Bird Book Review - 2014 / Inaugural World Shorebird Day

To view past blog entries from Kiawah Island click 2023 Bird Banding Program - Roots Magazine -  2023 Sea Islands Shorebird Festival - 2023 Earth Day -  2019 Record Turtle Nests - 2018 2.0 Expansion Plan - 2017 Shorebird Symposium - 2012 PGA Championship - 2011 Sea Turtle Release with S.C. Aquarium

2024 Hammock Coast Birding Festival

Bonaparte's Gull blending in with Hooded Mergansers

The Second annual Hammock Coast Birding Festival took place Feb. 8 – 11 on Super Bowl weekend. The host of TV show ‘Expeditions with Patrick McMillan’ was the keynote speaker for a dinner at Pawley’s Plantation, and then he went in the field the next day to the Tom Yawkey Wildlife Center for birding. Multiple properties in the area partner with the Georgetown Chamber of Commerce to promote the migratory species of birds found in winter. A sighting of a Western Kingbird at Brookgreen Gardens gave many birders the chance to add this species to their Life Bird List. 

Western Kingbird at Brookgreen Garden

          

“I am a botanist, but I appreciate the birding and charm of the Hammock Coast,” said McMillan. “I stand at 2642 Life Birds all time. Once I saw a bird with a leg band in the Lowcountry, and then when I was filming the TV show in Chile, I saw the same bird after its remarkable migration.” McMillan went on to state that S.C. is a weigh station for migrating shorebirds, and that he also marvels at hummingbirds. He implored birders to promote conservation when they can, and cited how native Americans created shell rings with oyster shells 5000-years ago that are still creating botanical and birding habitat today.

            

White Pelicans jockey for position

Day One of the Hammock Coast Fest included a visit to Huntington Beach State Park, walking on the North end of the beach including a stroll down the jetty. An immature bald eagle sitting in a dead pine tree where saltwater intrusion is killing the maritime forest was my first sighting of the day. Pelicans, Red-breasted mergansers, sanderlings and red-winged blackbirds all came into view. Two horned grebes swimming together in the ocean near the end of the jetty were a joy to view. And no one could miss the playful minks that now call the jetty home.

Great Blue Heron with Siren and shorebirds

Later that afternoon the Center for Birds of Prey came to Atalaya Castle to give a flight demonstration with their captive raptors. A Mississippi Kite and a Red-tailed hawk thrilled the birders, as staffer Addie Cater answered any questions about the birds. Saving the best for last, Carter surprised organizers and birders by releasing a rehabilitated Barred Owl into the woods besides the castle, saying that this was a great place for that bird to restart living in the wild after a brief hospital stay with them. Surely, this was the best sighting of the entire weekend.

            

Day Two at Brookgreen Gardens began at dawn, so it’s a good thing I was staying nearby at the Brookwood Inn. I saw a wood duck fly over, and heard its cry, which was immediately answered by a loud gobble by an unseen turkey nearby in the woods. Our grounp would later see that turkey strutting in a sure sign that Spring is nearing. A visit to their Zoo allowed for close up looks at waterfowl and wading birds for photographers. Besides the bird statues at the Brookgreen Zoo, the Red Wolf Ridge enclosure is a must see, but then its time to get back to birding!

To view the entire story in Trilogy Outdoors click on the March Issue.

To view past stories from Trilogy Outdoors click on Pheasant Tower Shoot -  Release Over 20 - 2023 Hawk Watch -  Kiawah Bird Banding -  2023 Crappie Camp -  Early Birds of September -  SCDNR Salt Fishing Clinics -  Silver King Makes Big Splash - S.C. Mahi Series - 2023 Yawkey Wildlife Center - 2023 Hammock Coast Birding Festival - 2023 Lowcountry Oyster Festival - 2022 Sea Turtle Season - Navigating an S.C. Public Draw Deer Hunt - Crappie Camp - Blessings of a Sporting Father

2024 Santee Big Cat Brawl Week - Hill's Landing

Catfish Whiskers up close

Scott and Gauge Peavy with heaviest
Catfish at Hill's Landing March 13

The 2024 Santee Big Cat Brawl will be fishing on Friday, March 15 and Saturday March 16 out of Black's Camp, but a special one-day pre-fish tourney was held on Wednesday March 13 at Hill's Landing in Cross.  Angler Gauge Peavy weighed in a 56.2-pound blue catfish to take the only prize for heaviest fish. He was fishing with his father Scott Peavy. Several other catfish in the 50-pound class were weighed-in, and all fish were released alive at the Hill's Landing boat ramp and dock.

To read my Big Cat Brawl Preview story click on Tideline. 

To view past stories in Tideline click on Marsh Tacky Horses - Five Birding Hotspots 

Blue Cat on left and Channel Cat on Right

Catfish Boats at Hill's Landing

2024 Carolina Marsh Tacky Association - Pigs and Pearls Benefit

Shannon Hawkins enjoys CMTA oysters

The mission of the Carolina Marsh Tacky Association is to preserve, protect and promote the Marsh Tacky horse lineage. Their third annual Pigs and Pearls banquet was held at The Barn in Reevesville, and catered by Shuckin' Thyme form Folly Beach. A large contingent of Charleston equine enthusiasts showed up to support CMTA, plus the regulars that come from the Pee Dee, the Upstate and Midlands. A raffle, silent auction and merchandise sales were set up, and a beautiful sunny afternoon allowed folks to mingle inside the venue or venture outside to explore the grounds.

I want to thank CMTA's leadership, especially Colin Drew, Miranda Rawson, Travis McKnight and Caroline Knight for speaking with me at their event. Everyone was busy making sure that attendees had a great time, and to allow Marsh Tacky owners time to be together and figure out what's happening back on their own farm. McKnight shares that's it's not all about horses for him, that he is a professional dog trainer too. And speaking with breeder Shannon Hawkins allows one to learn more about individual traits that are being passed down the bloodline, and what others can look for when and if they purchase a horse from the Hawkins Heritage Farm.

The biggest hit was the hot fresh oysters from Folly Beach. All ages bellied up to the oyster table, and everyone was able to indulge in the salty crustaceans until they had their fill. Lingering at the table between fresh steamed buckets allows everyone to chat and I'm not sure who enjoyed this time more, Sarah Gallashaw or Miranda Rawson! Of course, a full BBQ meal was served and everyone enjoyed a seated meal. Next CMTA event on the 2024 calendar is the Member trail ride in April.

CMTA Horse Blanket on Auction

To read my feature article on CMTA click on Tideline.

To view past blog entries on CMTA click on 2022 Pigs and Pearls 

Lots more CMTA events in '24

Nice venue for Pigs and Pearls Benefit

2024 Birding Journal Observations - January / February

Hen wood duck on nest box in Feb. 2024

A mild and drier than usual weather pattern was accented with a few short-lived freezing snaps and a deluge or two, and these up and down temps seemed to point to an early Spring. I normally would record plenty of sightings of goldfinch and cedar waxwings in my backyard, but this year they have been absent, but not absent from the Lowcountry landscape though. I had regular sightings of winter birds like pine warbler and yellow-bellied sapsucker, and thick flocks of Robins appeared in late February. 

In other observations, waterfowl sightings in the Lowcountry were plentiful in general, especially in known locations such as Tom Yawkey Center. Roseate spoonbill sightings were a little less this winter in my opinion, but not alarming in any way. Perhaps a few less tundra swans at Bear Island this year too, but in general the ACE Basin still stands as a welcoming station for swans, spoonbills and other avian life that might want (or need) to find a safe place to visit.

To view my article about 5 Fun Birding Destinations click on Tideline.

To view reports from 2024 Christmas Bird Counts click on Yemassee - Edisto - Palmetto Bluff

To view the most recent Birding Journal Observations click on November / December 2023

To view past Birding Journal Observations from January / February click on 2023 - 2022 - 2021- 2017-  2016- 2015- 2014 - 2013 - 2012 - 2011 - 2010 - 2009 

Pheasant Tower Shoot Aims for Fellowship

Pheasants in the morning sun on Jan. 20

When deer season ends the calendar flips to January, and while doves and ducks are still in season, they can be in short supply. A pheasant tower shoot presents an option for wingshooters to keep burning gunpowder, and enjoy the outdoors while it is still cold weather. The social aspect of a pheasant tower shoot is sometimes overlooked, but with multiple shooters in a blind, there is plenty of opportunity to visit with others during the hunt. The pheasants can fly sky high at times, and if someone makes a towering shot, that will be affirmed by others shouting ‘Good Shot.’ 

D and G Outdoors in Holly Hill, S.C. holds a pheasant tower shoot most Saturday’s in January and February. They have a staff that cleans the pheasants so that you leave with some protein in a Ziploc bag ready for some sporting supper. They also provide several dog handlers and retrievers that will collect and bring any wayward pheasants to hand. At the end of their morning shoot, a hot meal of barbecue, hash and rice is served so that the shooters might enjoy some fellowship and reflect on the hunt. After the January 20 pheasant tower shoot host Tommy Dantzler gave the blessing before lunch and was glad to answer any questions about future hunts.

The bottom-line on price for a blind at a pheasant tower shoot will vary, and is likely tied to the number of shooters allowed in a blind at any site. First timers can do well at pheasant tower shoots because the day’s format is repetitive, and easy to grasp. A strong wind in a certain direction can affect the flight of the birds, but in general it pays to watch every bird in flight, staying ready when your next chance to shoot comes winging by.  

To view the entire story in Trilogy Outdoors click on February Issue.

To view past stories from Trilogy Outdoors click on Release Over 20 - 2023 Hawk Watch -  Kiawah Bird Banding -  2023 Crappie Camp -  Early Birds of September -  SCDNR Salt Fishing Clinics -  Silver King Makes Big Splash - S.C. Mahi Series - 2023 Yawkey Wildlife Center - 2023 Hammock Coast Birding Festival - 2023 Lowcountry Oyster Festival - 2022 Sea Turtle Season - Navigating an S.C. Public Draw Deer Hunt - Crappie Camp - Blessings of a Sporting Father