Pritchards Island
Amazing Uninhabited Island
Pritchards Island is just southwest of Fripp and is only accessible by boat. This uninhabited island is owned by the University of South Carolina which conducts research on the island and welcomes daily visitors who enjoy strolling along the beaches and enjoying the barrier island's wildlife and tranquility.
Atlanta businessman Philip Rhodes donated the 1,600 acre island to the University of South Carolina in 1983 with the condition it not be developed commercially but rather used for coastal research. Students would stay in the "old stilt house", the Rhodes Research Center, while studying the ecosystems on the island and managing the preservation of the loggerhead sea turtles that nest on the island. The island is still managed by USCB and is used for education, conservation and research purposes by the University, other state institutions, and the general public.
In October of 2022, the abandoned research lab was removed, section by section, and hauled off on a barge.
For several years, the Beaufort County Arts Council collaborated with USCB to hold an annual artist retreat on Pritchards. Each artist was required to provide a piece of art that became the Pritchards Island Collection.
That collection now hangs in the library at the Hilton Head Gateway campus. (Source: Island Packet 2015)
If you're looking for an adventure, visit Pritchards by kayak or canoe. The Fripp Island Resort offers guided canoe trips that launch off the beach behind the Cabana Club. It's a great way to safely navigate the swift current that runs through Skull Inlet and learn more about the barrier islands. Contact the Activity Center for more information and reservations.
If you're ready to head out on your own, you can check tides and head over in your kayak or canoe. Single and tandem kayaks are also available to rent at Island Excursions. Once you get to Pritchards, you'll enjoy the peace and quiet of the island while strolling, shelling and exploring.
One of Beaufort County's most nested beaches, Pritchards Island is host to Loggerhead Sea Turtles between May and October. A group of dedicated volunteers patrol the island during nesting season to protect, mark and even relocate nests when necessary. Learn more about loggerheads - they're truly amazing!
Pritchards Island is host to both shorebirds and seabirds throughout most of the year - in the summer for nesting, and as a rest and refuel layover during their epic spring and fall migrations.
Nests are laid in shallow scrapes in the sand that blend in very well to their surroundings. While raising their young in the summer, it is imperative that adult birds keep eggs and chicks shaded to prevent predation and overheating in the summer sun, like the Least Tern is doing in this photo.
With North American shorebird and seabird populations in steep decline from habitat loss, predation and human disturbance, every piece of natural habitat remaining is critical for their survival. Help us protect these birds while enjoying the beach by keeping these actions in mind:
- Walk around flocks of birds, not through them, so they can rest and feed
- Respect signage on the beach indicating where birds are nesting and/or resting
- Leash your dog near birds, because even friendly dogs look like predators to them
There's lots to learn about birds in the Lowcountry - there are hundreds of different species to be found. Thank you for helping to protect our local wildlife!
These white fronted plovers do not have it easy. When they aren`t contending with us and our dogs, gulls and crows they have the wild seas that wash up the dunes and destroy their nests. Against all odds these little ones keep trying.
#smallisbeautiful #sharetheshore #whitefrontedplover #shorebirds #clayjourney #drawingonclay #illustratedplate #inspiredbynature #slowdesign #southafricanart #ceramicdesign #contemporaryceramics #handbuiltceramics #birds #slipware
“My job... is just beach.” - Westken snowy plover
Western snowy plovers are all about beach! Until September, these small, sparrow-sized shorebirds are hard at work incubating eggs and caring for their chicks. You can safely share the shore with these threatened birds by:
- Give wildlife space: do not approach or chase these birds.
- Respect all posted signs and roped-off areas for the protection of wildlife.
- Avoid prolonged picnicking or sunbathing in plover nesting habitat (dry sand areas above the wrack line).
- Walk on the wet hard-packed sand below the wrack line to avoid nesting habitat.
- Camp or build fires only in designated areas.
- If you’re on a beach that allows vehicles, drive ‘low and slow’, staying on the hard-packed sand below the high tide line where plovers forage.
- Avoid driving over old vehicle or foot tracks as plovers like to rest or “loaf” in these and are extremely hard to see.
- Avoid flying kites or other hovering objects near plover nesting habitat.
- Please dispose of all trash properly and do not inadvertently or intentionally feed wildlife.
- Know beach-specific dog rules before you go. If dogs are permitted, please follow the leash rules.
Thank you in advance!
🎨 by Rebecca Fabbri/USFWS
Happy birthday to Theodore Emery (wind.and.wing)- fellow Plover Lover and all-around wonderful human! 🐣
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#WesternSnowyPlover #SnowyPlover #sharetheshore #nuts_about_nature #wildlife_inspired #birds_adored #eye_spy_birds #eye_spy_birds_women #nuts_about_conservation #bird #wildlife #birdstagram #featured_wildlife #naturephotography #ig_nature #nature_perfection #nuts_about_birds #pocket_birds #bb_of_ig #bns_birds #bestoftheusa_birds #women_wildlife_photography #shorebirds_habitat
A Fling of Sandpipers! Don`t forget to #sharetheshore if you go to the beach this holiday weekend. Tiny birds the size of cotton balls may be nesting/foraging where you lay your blanket or set off fireworks. Look at signage, stay away from conservation areas, and have fun! 🌊
Can’t wait for Snowy Owl season ‘22-‘23. This shot from Fall 2021- Jersey Shore. #wildlifephotography #njradiant #jerseyshore #njwildlife #nps #jshn #snowyowlsofinstagram #njphotographer #njaudubon #njradiant #njwildlife #buboscandiacus #sassy_birds #nuts_about_birds #birdsofprey #njbeaches #sharetheshore
Swipe to see 3 pics: Least Terns, Piping Plovers, American Oystercatchers. Spring is just around the corner! (though when I look out the window at all the snow piled up and still coming down, it feels more like two corners...😆😫). Volunteers are needed all up and down the Atlantic coast to help protect nesting shorebirds and seabirds and help educate the public about sharing the shore.
This is such a great opportunity to make a real difference for Piping Plovers, American Oystercatchers, and Least Terns, among others.
With the pandemic and everyone rooted at home, there will be ever more pressure on our recreation spaces that overlap with nesting and feeding areas for these threatened birds. That presents a challenge--but also a great opportunity to educate lots of folks, and open their eyes to the wonders of these birds, and the ways to help protect them.
Online training via zoom starts March 13.
Go to http://ctwaterbirds.blogspot.com to learn more.
#sharetheshore
⭐️Special guest alert!⭐️ We had the immense privilege of caring for this piping plover, a precious, threatened migratory shorebird that nests right here in NYC. This bird was rescued out on the Rockaways. A wing injury had kept him down for some time, as he was emaciated and extremely weak on arrival.
These birds are highly stressed in captivity, with specific nutritional and habitat needs, so our waterfowl team deployed all their expertise and creativity to help Pippy Longstocking (😊) feel at home, including supplies of seawater and fresh beach wrack for foraging.
We’re pleased to report that, after a week in care, Pippy was active, putting on weight and enjoying the carefully curated meals, The prognosis for the wing is still guarded, but because more time may help, we’ve transferred the plover to a shorebird-specialist rehabber with facilities more suited to longer term care. We are so grateful to all involved in this effort!
There are just 6,000-8,000 piping plovers left globally, and fewer than 100 come to NYC each year. They’re listed as endangered in NYS and threatened federally, and very few of their chicks survive each season. It’s critical that we do all we can to protect them, including keeping clear of their nesting sites during the summer months and obeying beach rules, such as keeping dogs, drones, fireworks and other deadly disturbances off the beaches for the short time these and other nesting shorebirds are here each year. Temporary beach closures can make all the difference in the survival of their chicks.
Follow our friends nycploverproject to learn how you can help save this species or volunteer with their corps of plover protectors.
Our rehab work is possible because of thousands of kind people who support WBF. Please consider helping with a donation. Link in bio or bit.ly/wbfdonate
📷: lilyy.bird
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#pipingplover #plover #plovers #ploversofinstagram #shorebirds #endangered #urbanwildlife #sharetheshore #wildliferehab #wildliferehabilitation
The ocean asks for nothing but those who stand by her shores gradually attune themselves to her rhythm.
- Charles Dickens
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09.09.20
American oystercatchers on the beaches of the Rockaways in Queens #NewYorkCity
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Last Sunday was #WorldShorebirdsDay so on this #WildlifeWednesday I’ll spotlight the American oystercatcher, a boldly patterned shorebird w red-yellow eyes and a vivid red-orange bill, it survives almost exclusively on shellfish.
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Every summer, a lot of these oystercatchers and other shorebirds nest on the Rockaways. Was excited to see an oystercatcher chick during one of my visits! Swipe to see it!
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I also came across the eggs of 6U and 7U, two banded oystercatchers that has returned to nest in the Rockaways for several years now. This year they have three eggs which haven’t hatch yet when I was there last July.
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To protect nesting shorebirds, everyone is encouraged to #sharetheshore 🐣
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#SeeYourCity
Just had to share this picture I took recently at the beach 🥰🥰🥰 It’s that time of year again, beach birds are starting to pair up so be aware of who you might be stepping on!! Many shorebirds, like plovers, terns, and other relatives use simple and hard-to-see scrapes on the beach to lay their very camouflaged eggs.
[image description: my hand holding out a sticker showing an adult snowy plover and three fluffy chicks, with the caption “Share the Beach”. I am holding it in front of a beach background with blue sky.]
#BirdArt #BirdSticker #NatureSticker #ShareTheBeach #ShareTheShore #plover #PloverLover #SaveTheBirds
Little things…
#pipingplovers #pipingplover #plover_lovers #shorebirds #audubonsociety #audubon #sharetheshore #shore_birds_habitat #saveshorebirds #savetheoceans #solarcollective #plover #birds_adored #wildartpoty #christinareneeimages christinareneeimages
