Outdoor Event Calendar for September 2015

Sept. 19 is the Bluffton Peanut Festival

There are more than enough outdoor options for everyone in September for those that don’t hunt. The opening day for South Carolina and Clemson football is upon us, and many will travel from the Lowcountry to tailgate and attend the festivities. Whether staying close to home, or wandering just a little off the beaten path, it’s a great time to enjoy the outdoors.

Labor Day weekend is still a comfortable time to head to Edisto Beach, providing that recent tropical rains will diminish. Wildlife to watch for at the beach includes loggerhead sea turtle hatchlings and migratory shorebirds. Sea turtle nesting activity has ended by September, but the nests from this summer are still hatching out with great frequency, and a great place to look for them is during early morning walks at Edisto BeachState Park. 

Don’t forget that Sunday is World Shorebird Day, and the first reports of black-bellied plovers are already coming in. A birding handbook and binoculars might be helpful when trying to identify shorebirds. Wading birds like the roseate spoonbill might be found along the marshy habitat all around Edisto Island, including the Botany Bay WMA, so keep an eye out for these large pink birds.     

September 19 is the annual Beach Sweep and River Sweep run by SCDNR.

To view the entire article in the newspaper click on Colletonian.