Eagle Eyes
From Becky Krantz
Feathered Friends
From Aaron Given, Town of Kiawah Island Wildlife Biologist
For a barrier island, Kiawah packs a punch when it comes to its birdlife. The reason
for this is simple—Kiawah hosts a variety of habitats confined to a relatively small
geographic area. In less than one mile, you can travel from the ocean, to the beach,
over the dunes (please use a boardwalk), through the maritime forest, and into the
saltmarsh. Along the way, you may encounter a variety of microhabitats such as
ponds, pond edges, shrub thickets, freshwater marshes, and vine tangles. Because of
the diversity of habitats and microhabitats, there is a rich and abundant population
of birds on Kiawah Island. The “official” list of birds that have been observed on
Kiawah currently stands at 302 species. To put that into perspective, there have
been 439 different species of birds documented in South Carolina, therefore 69%
of those have been also seen on Kiawah Island. There are not many other places in
South Carolina that can boast a diversity of bird species as Kiawah can.
Of course, all of those species are not here at one time. Bird populations change
with the seasons. Spring and summer are a time of renewal, and many species
return to Kiawah to breed after spending the winter in more tropical places. Fall
migration on Kiawah Island is spectacular! The fall is a great time to see large
diversity of species that are not usually observed on Kiawah as they take short
refuge here on their journey south. In the winter, birds escape the cold and snow of
the north to enjoy Kiawah’s milder temperatures and abundance of food sources.
Of the 302 species that have been documented on Kiawah, I have seen 281 of
them. After over 10 years of working with birds on Kiawah Island, it is getting more
difficult to find species that I have not seen here before but each year brings a new
sense of wonder of what might show up next.
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Kiawah is known for its incredible
wildlife. Creatures such as loggerhead
sea turtles, American alligators and
bobcats can be found with astonishing
frequency. While such encounters are
always exciting, the old adage “the
devil is in the details” should not be
overlooked. As I bike each day, I often
pass by a spectacular bald eagle nest,
located on the bike path between the
fire station and Night Heron Park. I
always stop to see if the eagles are
visible. On this day I snapped a few
quick photos as the sunlight illuminated
the eagle’s head. Reviewing the photos
later that day I discovered that I had
captured the eagle’s nictitating eyelid.
This translucent membrane is the inner
eyelid found in birds, reptiles, and
some mammals. It is drawn across the
eye to protect the eye from dust and to
keep it moist without interrupting its
vision. Taking a photo of the nictitating
membrane is just another up-close and
personal view of Kiawah’s many hidden
secrets.
Naturally Kiawah