Today, over 30 Lowcountry Land Trust supporters gathered their binoculars and headed to Stono Preserve for a guided bird walk led by local ornithology experts, including Melissa Hughes, a Professor of Ornithology from the College of Charleston and Nicole Marie Pettinelli, founder of the Charleston Bird Club.
College of Charleston’s Stono Preserve encompasses 981 acres along the Stono River and the Intercoastal Waterway. The myriad ecosystems, including long-leaf pine forests, wetlands, savannahs, tidal marshes, and brackish, saltwater, and fresh-water ponds, are all protected forever by a Lowcountry Land Trust easement. Truly an outdoor classroom, Stono Preserve is the perfect setting to view the species that call this area home – specifically, our avian friends!
While conservation is often measured in acres, its more encompassing benefits are sometimes less tangible. It includes spending time in the ecosystem, quietly watching and listening, and enjoying the species that now have undisturbed access to the landscapes and waterways they call home. In particular, Lowcountry Land Trust is proud to protect habitats that support a range of avian species, from waterfowl to songbirds.
Between Mount Pleasant and Sullivan’s Island and adjacent to Ben Sawyer Boulevard, the Conch Creek Islands play a vital role as a habitat for numerous species of wading birds, including Great Blue Herons, Tricolored Herons, Great Egrets, and White Ibises. Safeguarding these habitats was a driving force in the property’s permanent protection, which East Cooper Land Trust, now Lowcountry Land Trust, accomplished in 2022.
Also along our coast, the managed wetland impoundments and historic rice fields at Plum Hill offer a rich, year-round habitat for warm-weather shorebirds and wintering habitat for migratory waterfowl. These wetlands are part of broader conservation efforts in the ACE Basin and have been protected since 2011.
Moving inland to one of the most intensively managed longleaf pine forests under a Lowcountry Land Trust easement, Brosnan Forest is a nearly 15,000-acre sanctuary for the federally threatened Red-cockaded Woodpecker. The mature longleaf pines provide essential nesting cavities for these protected birds, whose survival is closely linked to the preservation of this habitat. Brosnan Forest has been permanently protected since 2008.
Today’s guided bird walk was a celebration of conservation. Guests immersed themselves in the beauty of Stono Preserve and were rewarded with views of over 22 species. We want to extend a thank you to the College of Charleston for using Stono Preserve as an outdoor classroom, fostering both enjoyment and education and John Henry Dick for his foresight in protecting Stono Preserve back in 1993.
There are upcoming opportunities to get involved at these Lowcountry avian sanctuaries! Click the links below to learn more.
