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!
Why do Black Skimmers have these strange, uneven bills? For a very specific purpose: when these coastal birds fly low, with their long lower mandibles plowing the water, they’ll snap the bill shut once they contact a fish.
A Black Skimmer with its beak wide open in Wachapreague, Virginia. 📷: Joshua Galicki (galicki_photography)/Audubon Photography Awards
“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
It’s #PloverAppreciationDay! From adorable, small Piping Plovers to elegant, fast-flying American Golden-Plovers, these spectacular shorebirds can be found in most parts of the world, where they capture many birders’ hearts with their lovable antics. ❤
But they’re also in need of our protection—one important way that we can keep them safe while watching them is to #ShareTheShore and give them plenty of space, whether it’s nesting season or migration season.
As we celebrate plovers today, tell us, which one is your favorite?
A Piping Plover and its chick on the beach. 📷: Melissa Groo (melissagroo)/Audubon Photography Awards
Where do weanlings (elephant seal pups who are no longer nursing) go on their first trip at sea?
Without any teaching, or any help from their fellow weanlings, these brave young voyagers venture to sea and learn how to navigate the North Pacific and find food. How do they find their way? Do the males and females instinctively follow the same routes as the adults?
Researchers at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo are trying to answer these questions. Among the 15 weanlings tracked over the past 2 years, scientists have found a lot of individual variation. Many weanlings headed northward along the coast or just off the continental shelf near the Pacific northwest. But one weanling stayed near the Channel Islands off southern California, and another spent most of her time off the coast of Alaska!
We are just beginning to understand where the weanlings go. Join us in April to start #WatchingThoseWeanlings and follow this year’s 10 intrepid explorers on their journeys: https://www.calpoly-viplab.com/satellite-tags
That’s a wrap for #WinterWildlifeWonders! Thank you for following along these past 8 weeks as we shared fun facts about elephant seals and ways to be a steward in their protection.
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📷: Kathleen Curtis
Image Description: A close-up shot of a group of weanlings with silver fur laying next to one another.
#AñoNuevoStatePark #WinterWildlifeWonders #ElephantSeal #WatchingThoseWeanlings #HelpMeStayWild #RespectWildlife #ShareTheShore #StewardshipSunday #CAStateParks
Did you know February 15 marked the beginning of the breeding season for shorebirds in Florida?
Nesting sites in the eastern Florida Panhandle have been busy setting up string fencing, often called symbolic fencing, to protect dune and beach ecosystems from being trampled and eroded. But there are plenty of ways that you can help #ShareTheShore the next time you’re out on the state`s beaches this breeding season—remember to follow these tips:
🚫 Avoid feeding wildlife
🗑️ Dispose of trash properly
🚗 Avoid driving on beaches
🐕 Keep dogs on leashes or off beaches when they’re not permitted
🐦 Give shorebirds their space and avoid flushing them
Find out more about the ongoing efforts to ensure that Florida’s shorebirds have a safe breeding season by tapping the link in our bio.
A Snowy Plover peeks out while camouflaged on the shore. 📷: Veryl Witmer/Audubon Photography Awards
🎶It`s the most wonderful time of the year 🎶. The elephant seal breeding season is starting with the first few bull elephant seals arriving onshore at Point Reyes, and the pregnant females should be arriving soon.
The seasonal beach closures for the elephant seal breeding season start December 15 and go through March 31. Closures include the southern end of South Beach, the beach from the Lifeboat Station to Chimney Rock, the Fish Dock area, and portions of Drakes Beach. The extent of the Drakes Beach closure will depend on where the seals come onshore to pup and could change throughout the season. Please stay out of closed areas for your safety and the safety of the seals.
Check out our Beach Closures Highlight in our bio for a map of the beach closures and more information on where to view elephant seals.
NPS Photo / Aiko Goldston
#PointReyesNPS #ElephantSeals #UseYourZoom #ShareTheShore #RespectTheNap
alt-text: Two subadult male elephant seals facing each other in a combative posture on a beach with the calm bay water and cliffs in the background.
Daddy let me in…..wait no I want to run! 🖤🤍
Imani and one of his babies.
#pipingplover #plover #birds #shorebirds #sharetheshore #montrose #birding #birdphotography #birdpics #birdlovers #beach #endangeredspecies #chicago #nature #naturelovers #naturephotography #nikon #nikonphotography #nikonnature #nikonoutdoors
chicagopipingplovers
While many shorebirds have wide distributions, the piping plover is a North American specialty, barely extending into Mexico in winter.
But these birds are now considered endangered or threatened species in all parts of their range as many of their nesting areas are subject to human disturbance and other threats.
To help protect Piping Plovers and other shorebirds and wildlife, it’s critical for people to #ShareTheShore.
A video of a Piping Plover stomping its feet on the sand. 📹: Sean Graesser (gourmetbiologist)
Oystercatcher in CT last weekend.
#sharetheshore #conservationphotography #wildlifephotography #wildlife #nature #naturephotography #yankeemagazine #mynewengland #natgeo #optoutside #massachusetts #ignewengland #igersnewengland #westernmass #igers413 #pioneervalley #413 #scenesofnewengland #igersmass #birds #birdsofinstagram #ocean
Iconic kind of guy.
#sharetheshore #pipingplover #conservationphotography #wildlifephotography #wildlife #nature #naturephotography #yankeemagazine #mynewengland #natgeo #optoutside #massachusetts #ignewengland #igersnewengland #westernmass #igers413 #pioneervalley #413 #scenesofnewengland #igersmass #birds #birdsofinstagram #ocean
