The Birds of Kiawah Island
and Where to Find Them
B
Story and photographs by Jacob Zadik
46
irds are a magnificent group of animals
that inspire many of us to seek them out.
Personally, I choose many of my travel
destinations with a bird or two in mind.
Whether you are a bird lover or not the simple fact is, birds
are everywhere. They are found on every continent in the
world, and many possess the means and innate drive to visit
multiple continents during great migrations. So anywhere you
travel—or even if you are not the traveling type and prefer to
stay home—you most certainly have the ability to
be captivated by new birds.
Even though birds are all around us, you may not
necessarily see them. There is still work to be done, and that
is a large part of the fun of birding. The middle of a crowded metropolitan area probably does not include the most diverse
array of birdlife outside of Eurasian rock doves (aka pigeons),
crows, and the occasional Peregrine falcon. Interestingly,
the opposite end of the spectrum does not necessarily make
for the best birding either. Surprisingly, the middle of the
Amazon rainforest is just so thick with flora that, despite their
incredible beauty, the fauna is really tough to see. The sport
of birding then is finding a middle ground between remote
wilderness and accessibility.
This simple definition of the best birding areas describes
Kiawah Island perfectly. It possesses a 10-mile beach with
several hundred feet of healthy dunes and is oriented in a
way that typically fosters calm seas, allowing bird watchers to
look far out into the pelagic. On the north end is an unspoiled
Above: Blue-gray gnatcatcher. Below: Least tern. Above: Roseate spoonbill. Below: Common yellow throat.
Naturally Kiawah