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!
Birdtober day 11
Prompt: Spots and speckles from kaylafiskbirds + bird with a snack from thebirdherder
I thought a Sanderling was perfect for this prompt. I based this illustration off a Sanderling I met while birding In Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. We had the beach to ourselves, and they weren’t at all bothered by me as I laid in the sand and watched them find bugs in the sand 😍
Today I started with some sketches of their foraging poses (I’ll post that in my stories) then made this illustration with a whole lot of mixed media including an ink brush pen, watercolor, gouache, neocolors, and colored pencils.
#sanderling #shorebirds #sharetheshore #birdtoberclub2023 #snacktober
Want to be a better beach goer to shorebirds? #ShareTheShore by respecting posted signs about nesting and other off-limits areas and keep your pet leashed whenever you’re near birds.
Playful dogs want everyone involved in the fun, but their antics can wreak havoc on shorebird colonies in a matter of seconds. Birds like these Least Terns perceive dogs as predators, even if the dogs aren’t chasing them.
Least Tern with chick. 📷: Jim Verhagen/Audubon Photography Awards
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
It`s #worldshorebirdsday, I took this photo the other day to show a #sharetheshore situation. This group of Sandpipers rests on the beach,while busy beachgoers hustle and bustle in the background. In a lot of locations there is a struggle to provide shorebirds with enough space on beaches for people and birds. The thing is with a little self awareness of your surroundings you can share the shore with them equally, they need all the help they can get. Shorebirds are facing shrinking habitats, pollution, and the effects of climate changes on a daily basis. audubonsociety
Piping Plover chicks have been hatching throughout the Great Lakes region this summer, ushering in a particularly vulnerable time for these endangered shorebirds. 🐣
Adult Piping Plovers and their chicks face daily dangers, including disturbance from beachgoers, predators, and dogs off leashes. While many nesting locations are monitored frequently, the birds can’t be watched 24/7, which means it’s up to beachgoers to be aware of any plovers nesting nearby and the importance of giving them space to nest and rest.
That’s why AudubonGreatLakes and partners recently launched an education and outreach program to reach tourists and other new audiences in the area and encourage them to protect these shorebirds.
Tap the link in our bio to learn more about how this program aims to help beachgoers to #ShareTheShore!
A Great Lakes Piping Plover and its chick on the beach. 📷: John Doskoch
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! 🌊
Going to the beach this #LaborDay? Here’s why if you’re planning to bring your canine companion with you, don`t forget to #ShareTheShore!
For most of our coastal birds in North America, human disturbance is one of their biggest threats. That`s any activity that causes an individual or group of shorebirds to alter their normal behavior—and that includes bringing along our canine companions. To birds, people look like predators and our dogs even more so.
"There’s a place for everyone at the beach—including our furry friends—but we need to work together to ensure every creature stays safe out there, especially those that call the shore home," says Audubon`s Elizabeth Muñoz Huber.
Today we`re celebrating all wildlife, like our shorebirds, on #NationalWildlifeDay—so tap the link in our bio to learn how small actions like leashing our pets go a long way in protecting them.
Populations of Least Terns—like this adult and chick—are endangered in many areas because of human impacts on nesting areas, especially competition for the use of beaches. 📷: Jim Verhagen/Audubon Photography Awards
• #ShareTheShore • this Piping Plover chick, pictured at 4 days old, is beating the odds. Its three siblings were taken by predators within a few days, but this little one has become adept at avoiding the plentiful ghost crabs that tip toe on their claws across the beach hoping to steal prey into their sandy tunnels. It responds to alarm calls from its parents, freezing and flattening to the ground, as an e-bike races across the beach at low tide. The fuzzy chick, smaller than a surf clam, remains motionless as the fat tires speed by just feet away from leaving the parents chick-less. Overhead, gulls and crows listen for the plover calls and search for flightless prey. On a busy weekend beach day, the chick navigates beach chairs, walkers and unleashed dogs, as it makes its way to the intertidal zone to eat. It’s not easy being a plover.
The way that male Piping Plovers defend their territories resembles a game of chase—in this “parallel-run display,” they’ll typically face each other while individuals run forward then stop, chasing each other until there’s no more room, then running back to where they started.
Piping Plovers are considered an endangered or threatened species in all parts of their range—and many of their nesting areas are subject to human disturbance or other threats.
You can help protect them and other shorebirds and wildlife the next time you’re at the beach by remembering to #ShareTheShore. 🏖
A video of Piping Plovers chasing each other. 📹: Sean Graesser (gourmetbiologist)
Maine`s beaches are bustling with holiday festivities, summer fun, nesting shorebirds, and brand new piping plover chicks zipping around the sand on their speedy little legs. Be sure to share the shore this weekend!
Signs, twine, and fencing help beachgoers avoid accidental disturbance of known piping plover nests but protection of chicks relies on your keen eye. They start exploring the whole beach almost immediately after hatching, but it`s 28 days before they fly, so watch your step!
There are 174 pairs of piping plovers on Maine`s beaches this year, a number we are thrilled to see as recovery of this Endangered Species continues. It emphasizes that your willingness to share the shore is working! Keep up the good work.
🤍 Give plovers space. Stay out of marked areas and take pictures from an ethical distance. Pay attention to adult plover behavior. They`re not shy about saying you`re too close.
🤍 Respect pet restrictions. On beaches where pets are permitted, using a leash is a simple conservation action.
🤍 Keep activities like flying kites and playing catch close to the water`s edge, and fill in big holes before you go so chicks don`t fall in or get stuck.
🤍 Leave no trace. Trash attracts predators.
#PloverLover #EndangeredSpecies #ShareTheShore MaineAudubon
