Charleston Living Magazine Nov-Dec 2023

Snow Birds
Birding in the winter offers a new peek at our winged friends
By JENNY PETERSON » Photos by CHARLES DONNELLY with HOLY CITY BIRDING
T
here may not be snow exactly for “snowbirds” in the Lowcountry, but bird
watching in the winter can still result in spotting some winged winter residents who only travel to
South Carolina in the colder months.
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Bird watching increased in popularity during the
COVID pandemic as a safe outdoor activity and
more and more people are discovering the charm
of observing our winged friends. The hobby offers
excitement in getting the chance to see a bird
you’ve never seen before and a good excuse to
slow down and take in the natural environment.
“Every season is an opportunity to view
different bird species,” said Charles Donnelly,
who owns Holy City Birding and leads
groups throughout Charleston.
Birding in the spring sees warblers and
wild turkeys; summer has wading birds and
wood storks; fall has our famed pink Rosette
spoonbills. Activity certainly doesn’t stop in
the winter, as a plethora of ducks and sparrows
that are exclusively winter residents in
South Carolina arrive at nature preserves
and marshy areas.
“In the winter, adding in the ducks really
is the big difference. We do get a variety of
gulls that we don't typically have during the
summertime (ring-billed and herring gulls
the most common, followed by great blackbacked
and Bonaparte's gulls.) But we also
lose some of the tern species. Every habitat
kind of just switches birds, which makes it