2025 Charleston Outdoor Adventures - Exploring Folly Area By Water

Lighthouse Tours are interactive and popular

The nickname Edge of America is synonymous with Folly Beach, but everyone must drive over winding creeks and the Folly River to arrive on this barrier island. Charleston Outdoor Adventures was founded in 2009 and is based out of Bowen’s Island, just before Folly Beach, and offers many ways to explore and enjoy the Folly area by water. This kind of nature-based tourism is booming, and whether you simply want a kayak rental for a secluded paddle along the spartina marsh, or a guided tour of the Morris Island lighthouse by boat, this outfitter offers these options year-round.

Joe Lotts is the owner and operator of Charleston Outdoor Adventures (COA) and is still hands on with customers, despite having a full staff of guides and naturalists. “We offer environmental education of our aquatic estuary with everything we do,” said Lotts. “We might talk about pluff mud, water salinity, or tidal cycles while trying to show the beauty of the Folly area. Some activities simply never get old, like our dolphin eco-tours, and we are able to partner with local groups for these trips sometimes too. For example, the Lowcountry Senior Center is sending a group of its members to COA on January 31 at noon to go looking for Atlantic bottlenose dolphin aboard our 27-foot Carolina Skiff. I personally have seen one of these dolphin for 18 years now and it is nicknamed Flat-Top for its markings.”

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

To view past blog entries from Tideline click on CCA oyster recycling -  SEWE / DU conservation -  Search for Shed Antlers -  Save The Light - Christmas Wish List - 2025 Christmas Bird Count -  December Saltwater Forecast - Fall Hunting Seasons -  2024 Red Trout tourney -  Sullivan's Island Bird Banding Station -  Beidler BioBlitz -  October Conservation Calendar -  October Saltwater Forecast -  Birds of a Feather Toast-  Photography Tips - Riton Optics - Lighthouse Inlet Preserve - Coosawhatchie WMA -  Holy City Tarpon Tourney - Int'l Fly Fishing Film Festival - Carolina Kingfish Classic -  Fishing For Mountain Trout -  Hooked On Miracles -  HMY Lowcountry Cup - Turkeys For Tomorrow-  Carolina Ladies Billfish Classic - Paddling For Pups Photos - 2024 Atlantic Cup - Silvopasture Forestry- Beidler Forest 50th Anniversary - Charleston Race Week Photos - Southeast Shorebird Festival - ACE Basin Day Photos - Santee Big Cat Brawl - Carolina Marsh Tacky Association - SEWE Photos - Five Birding Hotspots 

2025 Oyster Festival - Boone Hall Plantation / CCA Shell Recycling

The Lowcountry Oyster Festival at Boone Hall Plantation is the kind of annual event that is almost a rite of passage for Lowcountry families. The dividends from time spent outdoors in a beautiful setting, while utilizing our natural resources, nourishes the Southern soul. The opportunity to recycle 45,000-pounds of oyster shell does not go unnoticed by the Coastal Conservation Association (CCA) who will enlist an army of 150 volunteers to work from 10 to 5 on Feb. 2 to recycle all the shucked oyster shells.

CCA volunteers at Oyster Fest 2025

Gary Keisler of Mount Pleasant is on the State Board of CCA and is their Habitat Chairman for South Carolina. “Recycling this much oyster shell at once is a conservation success story, but getting our youth involved in this hands on way is even more important,” said Keisler. “My self and many CCA members have been recreational anglers for decades, and we understand that oysters are an important component of the Lowcountry ecosystem. The Boone Hall oyster festival and CCA have partnered in this endeavor since 2009.”

To read the feature story in the Post and Courier click on Tideline.

To view past blog entries from Tideline click on SEWE / DU conservation -  Search for Shed Antlers -  Save The Light - Christmas Wish List - 2025 Christmas Bird Count -  December Saltwater Forecast - Fall Hunting Seasons -  2024 Red Trout tourney -  Sullivan's Island Bird Banding Station -  Beidler BioBlitz -  October Conservation Calendar -  October Saltwater Forecast -  Birds of a Feather Toast-  Photography Tips - Riton Optics - Lighthouse Inlet Preserve - Coosawhatchie WMA -  Holy City Tarpon Tourney - Int'l Fly Fishing Film Festival - Carolina Kingfish Classic -  Fishing For Mountain Trout -  Hooked On Miracles -  HMY Lowcountry Cup - Turkeys For Tomorrow-  Carolina Ladies Billfish Classic - Paddling For Pups Photos - 2024 Atlantic Cup - Silvopasture Forestry- Beidler Forest 50th Anniversary - Charleston Race Week Photos - Southeast Shorebird Festival - ACE Basin Day Photos - Santee Big Cat Brawl - Carolina Marsh Tacky Association - SEWE Photos - Five Birding Hotspots 

2024 Gamekeepers / Winter - Ducks Around Landmark Lakes

Any debate about how to attract migratory waterfowl in order to hunt ducks can often include the premise that one needs to hunt where the ducks want to be. In many cases, this includes bodies of water on the landscape that are large enough to produce what managers call site fidelity. Even a small man-made pond can attract ducks, but it typically will not see them stay long and certainly can’t produce an entire waterfowl season of hunting. Migratory duck are looking for food and water and landmark lakes are drought-resistant and provide a reliable destination for them. Where waterfowl managers near these locations have built impoundments with flooded duck food that welcomes the overwintering population of ducks, business is booming.

Photo courtesy Carl Bussells / Santee Cooper

            

In some cases, adjacent properties to these landmark lakes have been utilized by the federal government for years in the form of a National Wildlife Refuge (NWR). A Refuge provides water where ducks can loaf, and presumably a crop of groceries too, although that can vary from location to location. Conversely, waterfowl hunting impoundments in private hands simply do not miss a single growing season, and often expand planting budgets over time to feed the influx of ducks. Many such waterfowl hunting operations are offering a pay-to-hunt option with a daily duck blind rate or a yearly membership. In other cases the private landowner or plantation owner may only invite family, friends and business associate to hunt. But taken together as a whole, these ducky initiatives near landmark lakes create their own mini-flyway most seasons.

For the latest online content in the magazine click on Gamekeepers Magazine.

To view past stories from Mossy Oak Gamekeepers click on Mallard DNA -  Quail Habitat Philosophy -  2024 Fence It In -  2024 Reforestation -  2024 Predator Control- 2023 Wild Turkey Decline - 2022 Managing Duck Impoundments - 2021 Regional Wood Duck Study -  Fall 2021- Summer 2021 - Winter 2020- Spring 2020 - Fall 2017- Spring 2016 - Winter 2016 - Fall 2015 - Summer 2015 - Spring 2015 - Winter 2015 - Fall 2014 - Summer 2014 - Spring 2014 - Winter 2013 

2025 SEWE / DU Oyster Roast - Conservation Dividends

Chas. DU Committee Members at 2024 SEWE

Valentine’s Day weekend holds a unique meaning for those who love the outdoors, since that date is occupied by the annual Southeastern Wildlife Exposition (SEWE) each year. The ethic of conservation permeates through these endeavors over time to causes both big and small. Legends of conservation like Jungle Jack Hanna have come to Charleston to support SEWE, with youthful leaders of future conservation efforts listening intently. From the Junior Duck Stamp competition, to preserving wetlands in South Carolina, the Ducks Unlimited presence at SEWE goes well beyond their Friday night oyster roast and auction. 

John Powell is the CEO of the SE Wildlife Expo and 2025 will mark his 20th show. “SEWE has been working with Ducks Unlimited (DU) at the national, state and local level for years,” said Powell. “DU is great at fundraising and our SEWE platform is available to all conservation groups, no matter their size. The Friday night DU oyster roast at the Visitor Center Bus Shed allows the Charleston Chapter of DU to be one of the top chapters in the United States and we are proud that we helped build this partnership. All during SEWE weekend you won’t have to look hard to see an enthusiastic DU presence at many of our venues. And I still think it’s neat that anyone who attends their oyster roast gets a DU membership too.”

To view the feature article in the Post and Courier click on Tideline.

To view past blog entries from Tideline click on Search for Shed Antlers -  Save The Light - Christmas Wish List - 2025 Christmas Bird Count -  December Saltwater Forecast - Fall Hunting Seasons -  2024 Red Trout tourney -  Sullivan's Island Bird Banding Station -  Beidler BioBlitz -  October Conservation Calendar -  October Saltwater Forecast -  Birds of a Feather Toast-  Photography Tips - Riton Optics - Lighthouse Inlet Preserve

To view past blog entries from SEWE Sunday click on 2024 - 2023- 2022 - 2019- 2018 - 2017-  2016- 2015 - 2014 - 2013 - 2012 - 2011 - 2010 - 2009 

2025 Hunting for Shed Antlers is Sneaky Fun

Male white-tailed deer shed their antlers during the start of each year, and the exact time they drop off is unique to each individual buck. Bucks grow a new set of antlers each summer and then cast those off in Winter, making this a great time of year for some woods walking in search of shed antlers. Seasoned outdoorsmen know to scour known deer trails or bedding areas for shed antlers, and if you find one antler then be sure to look closely for another, but any single antler found is a treasure that reveals information into whitetail behavior. 

Deer hunting season ends on January 1 each year, making this a perfectly safe time to ramble in the woods, perhaps with family and friends since more eyes looking out for the prize equals a better chance of success. Whether looking for sheds on private or public lands, agriculture fields are a good place to start, paying attention to deer trails leading to the ag field where bucks are likely to have traveled back and forth to the food source. It may not take much more than the head-bob of a buck dropping its mouth down to eat grass or drink water for the antler to drop off.

j

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

To view past blog entries from Tideline click on Save The Light - Christmas Wish List - 2025 Christmas Bird Count -  December Saltwater Forecast - Fall Hunting Seasons -  2024 Red Trout tourney -  Sullivan's Island Bird Banding Station -  Beidler BioBlitz -  October Conservation Calendar -  October Saltwater Forecast -  Birds of a Feather Toast-  Photography Tips - Riton Optics - Lighthouse Inlet Preserve -  Coosawhatchie WMA -  Holy City Tarpon Tourney - Int'l Fly Fishing Film Festival - Carolina Kingfish Classic -  Fishing For Mountain Trout -  Hooked On Miracles -  HMY Lowcountry Cup - Turkeys For Tomorrow-  Carolina Ladies Billfish Classic - Paddling For Pups Photos - 2024 Atlantic Cup - Silvopasture Forestry- Beidler Forest 50th Anniversary - Charleston Race Week Photos - Southeast Shorebird Festival - ACE Basin Day Photos - Santee Big Cat Brawl - Carolina Marsh Tacky Association - SEWE Photos - Five Birding Hotspots 

2025 Edisto Island - Christmas Bird Count

Immature bald eagle harassed by crows on Jan. 2

Cold weather greeted my team at dawn on January 2, 2025 for the 4th Annual Edisto CBC. Assigned to Section 7 of the Island we began by listening for owls at the Editor Driving Range and heard the hoots from both the Great Horned Owl and the Barred Owl. As daylight arrived we began to drive around our area stopping at multiple hotspots that we had counted in the past, and added at least one new spot. The tide was high on Edingsville Beach at 9 AM and while we were able to visit Jeremy Inlet to count, we had to wait until low tide before traveling down the beach to Frampton Inlet, where a plethora of pelicans, cormorants and seagulls were waiting.

Organizer Tom Austin with Edisto Land Trust says that 43 volunteer birders counted a total of 14,709-birds and that the 142 total overall number of species sighted was a new record. The most abundant species was Dunlin, with 4860 of these shorebirds counted, largely on Otter Island in the ACE Basin. One notable sighting from Section 7 came when Capt. Phillip Albenesius and saw an immature bald eagle sitting in a dead tree near a road where a dead deer carcass was being feasted on by a swarm of black vultures. The baldie never ate because black crows were alerted to its presence and harassed it, causing it to fly off after a while. Sorry for the deer, but it was good for the bird counting! To view the entire species list for the Editor CBC click on E-bird.

Distance traveled while birding is recorded too

To view my feature article on the 2025 Christmas Bird Count in the Post and Courier click on Tideline.

To view past blog entires from the Edisto CBC click on 2024 - 2023

To view past blog entries from the Palmetto Bluff CBC click on  2024- 2023 - 2022 - 2021 

To view past blog entries from the Yemassee CBC click on 2025 - 2024

To view past birding trips from 2024 click on  Stono Preserve - Beidler Forest - Carolina Bird Club -  Earth Day / Kiawah - Spring Island - Southeast Shorebird Festival - Hammock Coast Birding Festival - Huntington Beach State Park - Yawkey Center 

2025 Save The Light - Oyster Roast / Bowen's Island

Preserving the Morris Island lighthouse vista while traveling to and from Folly Beach appeals to both locals and visitors. That's why the annual Save The Light oyster roast is such a popular event that helps raise money for the historic lighthouse that is the tallest in South Carolina.

Morris Island Lighthouse; sunrise in 2022

This year the oyster roast will be held on Sunday, Jan. 5, at Bowen's Island Restaurant, and will feature a new VIP house, where guests can sample appetizers from seven different chefs, enjoy a signature cocktail and receive a swag bag with goodies such as a Yeti tumbler engraved with a lighthouse logo.

Patty Geery is the office manager for Save The Light, a nonprofit organization formed in 1999 to save the Morris Island lighthouse from being lost to the sea. "A group of neighbors purchased the lighthouse at auction and then turned around and gave ownership to the State of South Carolina in 2000," said Geery. "Each year we rely on the General Assembly for funding to maintain the lighthouse and we also hold our own fundraisers like the oyster roast and the Save The Light half-marathon and 5K coming up on February 8."

To view the feature article in the Post and Courier click on Tideline.

To view blog entries from Tideline click on Christmas Wish List - 2025 Christmas Bird Count -  December Saltwater Forecast - Fall Hunting Seasons -  2024 Red Trout tourney -  Sullivan's Island Bird Banding Station -  Beidler BioBlitz -  October Conservation Calendar -  October Saltwater Forecast -  Birds of a Feather Toast-  Photography Tips - Riton Optics - Lighthouse Inlet Preserve -  Coosawhatchie WMA -  Holy City Tarpon Tourney - Int'l Fly Fishing Film Festival - Carolina Kingfish Classic -  Fishing For Mountain Trout -  Hooked On Miracles -  HMY Lowcountry Cup - Turkeys For Tomorrow-  Carolina Ladies Billfish Classic - Paddling For Pups Photos - 2024 Atlantic Cup - Silvopasture Forestry- Beidler Forest 50th Anniversary - Charleston Race Week Photos - Southeast Shorebird Festival - ACE Basin Day Photos - Santee Big Cat Brawl - Carolina Marsh Tacky Association - SEWE Photos - Five Birding Hotspots