Birding Field Trip-Pitt Street Pier

A trip to the Pitt Street Bridge in the old village of Mount Pleasant kicks off our Fall 2011 field trip series. It’s close to downtown Charleston and is considered to be among the best birding spots in the Lowcountry. A paved path and a well maintained boardwalk take you across salt marsh and a tidal creek. At low tide, large expanses of mud and sand flats provide food for foraging shore birds. Numerous species of sandpipers, herons, egrets, oystercatchers, Ospreys, gulls, terns, warblers and sparrows are possible. In past years we have seen Reddish Egrets, Lesser Black-backed gulls, Clapper Rails and Marbled Godwits here. A moderate amount of walking is involved but the pace will be very leisurely. There are even benches from which panoramic views of the harbor and the skyline of downtown may be enjoyed. There are no rest rooms on the site. We’ll meet at 7:00 A.M. in the Moultrie Plaza shopping center parking lot, on Coleman Blvd.; the Wild Birds Unlimited store is located there. We will car pool from there as the parking at the site is limited. As we have done in past years, after a morning of birding, we’ll gather at a restaurant along Shem Creek for lunch and conversation. Please register with Don Jones prior to September 3rd if you plan to attend. 572-8232 or Birdfrogdjlj@aol.com