White Ibises at Patriots Point, Charleston on the Skyline

I used to take students to this location to see two species of fiddler crabs, marsh periwinkle snails, and salt marsh vegetation. Once when I was out there by myself, I found a small flock of ibises working the marsh. With three tall steeples punctuating the skyline, it was a perfect demonstration of the intimacy of nature and civilization in Charleston.

Red-throated Loon at the Battery

Everyone who visits Charleston visits the Battery. Folks used to say it is where the Ashley and Cooper come together to make the Atlantic Ocean. It's also a good place to look for waterbirds. On this day, January 19, 2016, the water was as smooth as glass and the warm winter sun was low in the west. Those conditions must have emboldeded the birds to come close to the seawall. Cocky male Red-breasted Mergansers were easy to inspect and this loon showed up a few feet away. Loons are usually found offshore, so this was an unusual chance to see one up close, and marvel at its ruby red eyes.

Boat-tailed Grackles at Folly Beach

There's no place better than the Folly Beach Fishing Pier (admission free, but parking is another matter) for intimate looks at Boat-tailed Grackles. It's helpful to see them at eye level to pick up the spectrum of colors produced by the males' iridescent plumage. Male boat-tails do not help raise their offspring. All they do is display their fine feathers and voices for the females to judge. To facilitate comparison they gather together in groups of two or more called leks. This is a low-key performance, but the outcome is what matters.

Little Blue Heron at Magnolia Gardens

Nine species of heron summer and nest in the Charleston area; seven of those are here all year. They all add extra touches to their plumage for the nesting season. The aigrettes of the Snowy and Great Egrets are justifiably famous, but I am particularly taken by the blazing blue bills of nesting Little Blue Herons. A small group of them were nesting in 2017 at the Audubon Swamp Garden at Magnolia Gardens, where this video was taken. They were on a small island close to the central transverse dike. The Swamp Gardens are well worth the price of admission. You can easily see Anhingas, Great Blue Herons, Great Egrets, Snowy Egrets, and Little Blue Herons in a variety of poses.

Roseate Spoonbill at Huntington Beach

Roseate Spoonbills epitomize the changes in Charleston birdlife that took place while I was living in Oregon 2000-2012. Spoonbills were not to be seen before 2000. By the time I returned they were regular summer visitors to Lowcountry impoundments and tidal creeks. This one was a few feet from the marsh boardwalk at Huntington Beach State Park in Georgetown County,

Eastern Screech-Owl at Myrtle Beach

Eastern Screech-Owls are fairly common permanent residents of the eastern U.S., but they are seldom seen. This one is used to people, and is preoccupied with a squirrel, which he/she tries to intimidate by puffing up. If it were concerned with me, it would have stretched out vertically and elonged its "ears" to mimic a dead branch. This species has two color "phases," which result from a simple genetic polymorphism, somewhat like hair color in humans. .

Piping Plover at Huntington Beach

Piping Plovers nest on beaches, both sea beaches from North Carolina to Newfoundland, and lake and river beaches in the interior of North America. Because these beaches are heavily trafficked by humans and their animals, the species has declined in numbers so much that it is protected by the U.S. Endangered Species Act, as is the Snowy Plover of western North America. To better monitor their status, biologists have fitted many of these birds with colored leg bands, which allow identification of individuals. You can see the bands and a pink flag on this bird's legs. Most South Carolina beaches host a few wintering birds. This bird, in the dog-free zone at Huntington Beach State Park, is hunting for invertebrates in the classic plover way, by tapping the sand.

Clapper Rails Allo-preening in Shem Creek Marsh

Clapper Rails are very common permanent residents of our salt marshes, but they are much more likely to be heard than seen. The Shem Creek boardwalk in Mount Pleasant is the best place I know to actually see one of these bantam-sized birds. I was extraordinarily lucky to see these two, presumably a mated pair, checking themselves and each other for parasites. As you can see, allo-grooming is not restricted to primates.