Beaufort birding festival welcomes renowned author Sibley
- quarlescr
- Sep 21
- 3 min read
The first cool weather of fall has already reached the Lowcountry, and the southward migration of songbirds is beginning. A brand-new organization in Beaufort named the Carolina Bight Birding Center, located on Saint Helena Island, is hosting the Wings Over Beaufort Birding Festival beginning Sept. 23 with renowned author and illustrator David Sibley set to attend as keynote speaker. Multiple days of field trips are available for birders to sign up for that week, with each trip led by local birders who bring years of experience of spotting birds with them.
Jenn Clementoni is the executive director of the Carolina Bight Birding Center and resides on St. Helena Island.
“Our kickoff event for the birding festival will include the plans and layout design for our new headquarters building, so I’m very excited to share that with everyone,” said Clementoni. “We will meet at the Port Royal Sound Foundation facility at 5 p.m. to hear David Sibley speak about his birding career while we enjoy a catered meal. We will also present the inaugural Feathered Friends award to local vet Dr. Marikay Campbell.”
The Sibley Bird Guide is currently the standard for birders, whether they are novice or expert. His color illustrations and the in-depth descriptions of each bird species makes these guidebooks easy to use again and again. Sibley has sold nearly 2 million books, with specialty books for topics such as Hawks in Flight. The sibleyguides.com website also has a mobile phone app for birders, along with calendars, cards, posters, puzzles and prints to meet the demand for his signature insight into birds. A book signing with David Sibley will be included during the Sept. 23 kickoff event.
“The Carolina Bight Birding Center will be a part of the community, and we will recognize people who are active in bird conservation,” said Clementoni. “Dr. Campbell is a DVM at Port Royal Veterinary Hospital and since 2009 she and her team have always answered the call to care for injured birds. These bird injury cases can happen at any time, and Dr. Campbell seemingly is always available to help to triage and stabilize the patient, or perhaps to administer end of life care. We look forward to honoring Dr. Campbell on Sept. 23.”
Birding field trip options on Sept. 23 will include a wagon ride at Nemours Wildlife Foundation and a boat ride tour to St. Phillips Island. Nemours is located in Northern Beaufort County, and attendees will meet at 9 a.m. for a tour led by Education Coordinator Heather Kraus that will include a driving tour of wetlands and uplands with frequent stops for discussion. St. Phillips Island is a new State Park, and attendees will meet at the Coastal Expeditions outpost at 8 a.m. for a boat ride to the barrier island, then enjoy a tram ride through the maritime forest looking for coastal birds.
The birding festival tours and featured speaker talks in the evening continue all day Sept. 24 and 25. Site visits will include Spring Island, Hunting Island State Park, Jarvis Creek Park, Cypress Wetlands and the Spanish Moss trail. On Sept. 24 ornithologist Dr. Andy Jones will speak at Shellring Ale Works in Port Royal regarding Fall migration. Then on Sept. 25 South Carolina Department of Natural Resources coastal bird biologist Felicia Sanders will speak about shorebirds and her work at Deveaux Bank near Seabrook Island. Tickets for all birding tours and speaker presentations can be found at www.carolinabightbirdingcenter.org and birders will gather to welcome this new birding-focused facility to the Lowcountry.
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