Hair Salon inSeabrook Island, SC

By Jackie Brooks for The Island Connection

January is a busy month for area birders. Lots of opportunities to improve your birding skills as you participate in the many activities available.

You do not have to be a Seabrook Island resident.

We welcome all levels of interest and ability. To see all programs being offered in January as well as to register for any that you would like to join, go to our website, SeabrookIslandBirders.org under Birding Activities.

If you are not yet a 2022 SIB member, you may first become a member for only $10 by following the instructions on our website, visit seabrookislandbirders.org/ contact/join-sib/. You may bring the form and your dues to the event. Or you may pay the Guest Fee of $5.

Learning Together at North Beach

Saturday, Jan. 8, 2022 10 a.m. – 12 p.m.

Location: Meet at Boardwalk # 1 Parking lot

Max: none

Cost: Free for members; $5 donation for guests

Join SIB to bird at Seabrook Island’s North Beach. This three-mile round trip walk travels from Board Walk #1 to the tip of North Beach along Captain Sams Inlet as high tide approaches.

Birders from beginners to advanced birders will enjoy the variety of birds found on North Beach.

At this time, many different species of shorebirds rest and feed near the point or along the beach ridge near the beach’s pond. Along the way, we will explore the many different species that can be found in this unique area. As always, be sure to bring your binoculars/cameras, hats and sunscreen.

Bring a spotting scope if you have one. There should be spotting scopes available for viewing.

Bring plenty to drink and a snack if desired. There are no facilities. We ask that all participants wear a mask when unable to social distance if they are not vaccinated.

January Movie Bird Brain

Tuesday, Jan. 11, 2022 from 4-5 p.m.

Location: Zoom

Watch astonishing tests of avian aptitude: parrots that can plan for the future, jackdaws that can “read” human faces, and crows that can solve multi-step puzzles with tools like pebbles, sticks, and hooks. Could these just be clever tricks, based on instinct or triggered by subtle cues from their human handlers? Please sign up to join us for an afternoon at the movies! Sign Up by Jan. 10 and you will receive an automatic confirmation with your link for Zoom. It will be resent to you on the day of the program.

Learning Together-Palmetto Lake

Wednesday, Jan. 12, 2022 4 p.m. – sunset

Location: Meet at Equestrian end of Lake House parking lot

Max: 15

Cost: Free for 2022 members, $5 for guests

Description: Join the Seabrook Island Birders for a leisurely walk around Palmetto Lake.

We plan to walk part way along the path towards the Equestrian Center then hopefully see the “white birds” come in to roost for the evening. The path around Palmetto Lake is wheelchair navigable and for those walking it will be probably only a quarter of a mile. As we walk along Seabrook Island Road, we hope to see some of our resident winter warblers such as Yellow-rumped Warblers, Palm Warblers and my favorite Black and White Warbler. We also expect to see a large variety of birds including Northern Cardinals, Carolina Wrens, Herons and birds of prey. If the “white birds” get the invitation, we hope to see Snowy Egrets, Great Egrets and White Ibis roosting for the evening. Hooded Mergansers, Pie-billed Grebes and Buffleheads may be seen swimming in the lake. Dress in layers and bring your binoculars, hats, and a beverage of choice. You may also wish to bring a chair to sit and enjoy your beverage while watching the birds coming in for their evening roost.

Beyond Our Backyard at Kiawah River Development

Sunday, Jan. 16, 2022 8-11 a.m.

Location: Meet at the “bridge” entering the property

Cost: None for members; $5 donation for guests

Another chance to check out birds that can be found on this varied habitat property. We expect to see a large variety of birds including Double-crested Cormorants, Egrets, Herons, Osprey and other birds of prey. If we are lucky, we will see an eagle and osprey duel over a fish. We should also see and hear some of the smaller birds like Tufted Titmice, Eastern Bluebirds, Northern Cardinals. We will drive to various locations on the property and then walk for better birding observations. Of course ,this also gives us a chance to see this neighboring development. As always, be sure to bring your binoculars, hats, water and sunscreen.

Center for Birds of Prey

Date: Wednesday, Jan. 19, 2022

Registration starts 7 p.m. Program starts 7:30 p.m.

Location: Live Oak Hall, Lake House, Seabrook Island, SC

Program Fee: Members $5.00

Attendance: Limited to 100 members

If you are not a 2022 SIB Member, you can join/renew for $10/year

Stephen Schabel, Center for Birds of Prey Director of Education, once again brings the Center’s amazing raptors to the Lake House.

We’ll witness the interesting and important world of raptors through this unique indoor program.

Stephen’s engaging discussion, along with watching the birds in action, will give us a wonderful education of these majestic creatures and the significant role they play as apex avian predators. The program is limited to 100 SIB members. SIPOA COVID protocol will be followed – masks required in Live Oak Hall, masks and physical distancing recommended while traversing other indoor space. No refreshments will be served. If COVID conditions change prior to Jan. 19 the program could be canceled.

For registration, visit seabrookislandbirders.org/.

CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCBD) – Did the end-of-year fireworks begin a little bit earlier in your neighborhood? Many people across the Lowcountry shared messages online and in community groups after hearing the pop and sizzle of fireworks on Christmas Eve and in the days following.

Is that allowed? You might be surprised to find out many local municipalities allow fireworks a little more often than you would imagine.

Before you run out and purchase a box of fireworks, it’s important to know where you can – and cannot – set off fireworks in the Lowcountry on New Year’s Eve.

City of North Charleston – Setting off fireworks is legal year-round from 9:00 a.m. until 11:30 p.m., and on holidays like New Year’s Eve and the 4^th of July, you can set them off until 1:00 a.m.

City of Hanahan – setting off firecrackers is only legal five days of the year: Christmas Eve, New Year’s Eve, New Year’s Day, and July 4 from 10:00 a.m. until 10:59 p.m.

City of Goose Creek – You can only shoot fireworks in the city on Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, New Year’s Eve, New Year’s Day, and July 4.

Town of Mount Pleasant – You can set off fireworks the day before and the day after a holiday from 9:00 a.m. until 10:00 p.m. in Mount Pleasant.

Town of James Island – Fireworks are allowed between 9:00 a.m. and 11:00 p.m. any day including the 4th of July, but that time runs later on New Year’s Eve.

Town of Summerville – People living in town limits can shoot fireworks any day between 10:00 a.m. and 10:00 p.m., and on the 4th of July and New Year’s Eve between 10:00 a.m. and 1:00 a.m.

Town of Moncks Corner – Fireworks can be discharged on New Year’s Eve from 9:00 a.m. until 1:00 a.m., and on July 4 from 9:00 a.m. until 11:00 p.m.

Purchasing and setting off fireworks in the City of Charleston and on most of the islands is prohibited. This includes Folly Beach, the Isle of Palms, Sullivan’s Island, Kiawah Island, Seabrook Island, West Ashley, and the peninsula. You can use sparklers.

Fireworks are allowed between 10:00 a.m. and 1:00 a.m. for the 4th of July in unincorporated Dorchester County. There are no laws set in unincorporated Charleston County.

If you are unsure, it’s always a safe idea to check with your local government or your Homeowners Association before setting off any fireworks.

SEABROOK ISLAND — A neighborly dispute over a drainage pipe made it all the way to the S.C. Supreme Court last year, and justices recently decided the yearslong case will be resolved with just $1,000 in damages.

It’s not uncommon for neighbors in the flood-prone Lowcountry to clash over drainage issues, but few cases make it to the state’s highest court.

The seeds of the legal conflict were sown in 2002, when Paul Dennis McLaughlin and Susan Rode McLaughlin bought a lot on the island to build a home there, according to court documents. Their lot, like that of neighbors Richard Ralph and Eugenia Ralph, had a “no-build zone” with an underground, corroded drainage pipe.

A different drainage line on the golf course next door was installed that same year. The McLaughlins then spent the next six years talking to the island’s Property Owners Association about whether they could build on the section of their plot with the old pipe. They finally got permission to do so, and in 2008 told builders to remove their portion.

The Ralphs, however, protested that the corroded line was still helping to drain their yard of rainfall. When the McLaughlin’s section was removed, the Ralphs said flooding on their property got worse.

Ainsley Tillman, an attorney for the Ralphs, said the couple’s yard has ponding after it rains, and the standing water has drowned trees on the property.

That’s what led the couple to file their original suit, claiming trespass and intentional infliction of emotional distress, and asking for hundreds of thousands in damages. After a trial they were awarded just $1,000; despite winning, they appealed the amount of the court’s award.

An appeals court agreed there could be a new trial only over the amount of damages awarded. That’s the decision the state Supreme Court reversed on March 17 in a unanimous decision that reinstated the $1,000 payout and ended the case.

Tillman said her clients feel $1,000 is inadequate. Additionally, the legal fees the Ralphs spent so far “have not been insignificant,” Tillman said, but she declined to say exactly how big the bill was.

Hamlin O’Kelley, an attorney for the McLaughlins, declined to comment on the case and said his clients also would not comment.

But the saga may not be over: Tillman said the Ralphs are deciding whether they will ask the Supreme Court to re-hear the case, as they hope for a higher damage amount.

“When you are deciding whether or not to pursue an appeal in a case, they weigh the cost of litigation against the damage to your property,” Tillman said. “That’s kind of the balancing test.”

SEABROOK ISLAND — A few days into sea turtle nesting season and volunteers on Seabrook Island have spotted the state’s first loggerhead nest.

The season began May 1 and runs through the end of October.

Beachgoers can help sea turtles in the Palmetto State this season by keeping the beaches clean, giving the animals space and turning off beachfront lights to avoid disorientation.

Sea turtle volunteers Sandy MacCoss and Lucy Hoover found the state’s first nest of the season May 5 on Seabrook, about 20 miles south of Charleston. The nest was between two boardwalks and had 117 eggs.

“We’re thrilled to be the first in the state, and we’re very excited about the upcoming season,” said Jane Magioncalda, a co-leader of the turtle patrol.

More than 100 volunteers are on the patrol. They walk the beach each morning to see whether a mother turtle came up overnight to lay a nest. If there is evidence of a crawl, a team will probe the area to try and locate the nest.

Magioncalda said that volunteers will sometimes have to relocate the nest if it is below the high tide line and move it up to protect it.

“Then we mark it so that people don’t walk over it,” Magioncalda said. “And we also check those nests every single day during the season until they finally hatch, which is about 60 days after it’s been laid.”

Turtle patrol groups, like the ones on Seabrook and Kiawah islands, are instrumental in helping the state keep records of nests each season.

South Carolina wrapped up the 2020 sea turtle nesting season with about two-thirds more nests than the 10-year average.

Charlotte Hope, a biologist with the S.C. Department of Natural Resources, said the average nests for the past 10 years was 3,324. DNR counted 5,560 nests in 2020.

There are four sea turtle species that nest on beaches in the Palmetto State: loggerhead, green, Kemp’s ridley and leatherback. All four are classified as endangered or threatened and are protected by the Endangered Species Act, plus local and state ordinances.

To further protect these animals, beachgoers are asked to observe them from a distance. People who harm or interfere with the turtles or their nests are subject to civil penalties of up to $25,000 and up to a year in prison, DNR said.

Single-use plastics, such as plastic bags and balloons, are common trash found on the beach and can cause harm or death if sea turtles mistake them for food. DNR recommends people avoid use of these items on the beach.

Many coastal cities and towns in the state have already banned packaging products considered environmentally harmful, like plastic bags.

Folks are also encouraged to boat cautiously, especially in small tidal creeks where sea turtles like to feed. And keep artificial lights off the beach at night during nesting season. This prevents nesting mothers and hatchlings from becoming disoriented.

Sea turtles depend on the brightest light at night to lead them to the water. That light is often the moon. But other lights, such as those coming from within and outside homes, can cause confusion.

Sick, injured or dead sea turtles and nest disturbances should be reported to DNR at 800-922-5431.

SEABROOK ISLAND, S.C. (WCIV) — South Carolina's first sea turtle nest of the 2021 season has been found right in Charleston County!

On Wednesday, South Carolina Department of Natural Resources (SCDNR) biologists and volunteers announced that a mother loggerhead laid the first nest of the season overnight on Seabrook Island.

"Our staff and nest protection volunteers have been eagerly awaiting the arrival of the season’s first nest marking the return of these ancient reptiles," said SCDNR biologist Michelle Pate, who oversees the agency's sea turtle nesting program. "We're hopeful for a great season under the watchful eyes of our dedicated volunteer network members."

The nest was found by volunteers Sandy MacCoss and Lucy Hoover, who first located a crawl left by the mother sea turtle.

In 2020, 5,560 nests were laid. The year prior broke all records with 8,795 nests, but 2018 saw just 2,767 nests. Officials said female sea turtles do not come ashore to lay eggs each year, citing the high energy toll of nesting.

Each clutch averages 120 eggs, which typically hatch after about 60 days.

SCDNR provided the following tips for beachgoers and boaters to help keep sea turtles safe:

Report all sick/injured/dead sea turtles and nest disturbances to the SCDNR at 1-800-922-5431 so that staff/volunteers can respond as soon as possible.

Respect boating laws and boat cautiously, especially in small tidal creeks where sea turtles like to feed. Boat strikes have emerged as the leading cause of death for sea turtles in South Carolina.

Keep artificial lights off the beach at night during nesting season – this includes beachfront property lights and flash photography, which can disorient nesting mothers and hatchlings.

Always respect sea turtles by observing them from a distance on the beach. Individuals that violate federal law by harming or interfering with sea turtles or their nests can be subject to civil penalties of up to $25,000 and up to a year’s imprisonment.

Keep our beaches and ocean clean by avoiding single-use plastics. Plastic bags and balloons are among the most common trash items found on South Carolina beaches and can cause injury or death when sea turtles mistake them for food.

Promote and support our program for continued conservation of sea turtles in South Carolina.

The nesting season officially runs from May 1 through October 31, with hatchings usually beginning at the start of July.