Nature
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New KICA Strategic Plan Offers Kiawah Another Renewable Resource
Kiawah Island has long been a land with an insightful master plan, a stunningly beautiful strand of beach, and a vibrant, well-recognized brand. Now, thanks to the board and members of the Kiawah Island Community Association (KICA), our land also has a renewable strategic plan.
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Liz King: Serving the Environment and the Community
Elizabeth (Liz) King, Naturalist Advisor to the Kiawah Conservancy and Director of Outdoor Programs for the Kiawah Island Golf Resort (KIGR), will tell you what she does on Kiawah is not simply a job, but a way of life. Wearing many hats since she began working as a naturalist for Kiawah in the summer of 1992, she had just earned her Masters in Biology in New Jersey and was visiting her brother in Charleston when she answered an ad for a summer job with the Kiawah Island Golf Resort. Her enthusiasm, warmth, and progressive ideas ensured that she would become a full time employee, and a legend on Kiawah.
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New Habitat Improvement Initiative: How Everyone Can Take Part in Preserving Kiawah’s Habitats
Most conservation organizations seem to be at odds with development. Since much of the US eastern coastline has been dramatically lost to over development of coastal barrier islands, this uneasy relationship is understandable. On Kiawah Island, however, conservancy and development share common goals. Kiawah Development Partners and the other Island entities, including the Kiawah Conservancy, partner on a number of conservation projects to ensure that the Kiawah you first saw will be much the the same Kiawah in the years to come.
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Red-Winged Blackbirds
Red-winged blackbirds (Agelaius phoeniceus) are one of the more conspicuous and vocal birds in our area. Males are identified by glossy black plumage and a bright red shoulder patch with a yellow stripe. Females are less showy, with dark brown plumage and a pink-reddish tinge on chin and neck. Young are similar in appearance to females with heavy, dusky brown streaks.
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Osprey Nesting
Ospreys are large, fish-eating raptors, that typically nest high in trees, but will readily nest atop manmade structures, such as telephone poles, channel markers, and nesting platforms. Ninety-nine percent of an osprey’s diet consists of fish, thus nests are always located very close to water. Osprey lay 3 – 4 eggs that are incubated by both the male and female for approximately 5 – 6 weeks. Young are able to fly about eight weeks after hatching and begin to hunt for themselves. Kiawah Island has quite a few osprey nests that are readily visible from roadways. Two great locations to view these birds are the nesting platform near Pintail Pond and a large pine tree adjacent to Willet Pond. Please enjoy the nesting process but always from a sufficient distance, so that the birds are not disturbed.
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Winter with the Hooded Merganser
The Hooded Merganser is the most common waterfowl species on Kiawah Island during winter. They can be found in almost all of the many ponds on the Island. These small to medium-sized ducks have long narrow bills that they use to capture and eat fish. The bold black and white head crest makes males especially easy to spot.
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In Search of Herons with Ruby Red Eyes
When one is asked to name a heron found on Kiawah Island, often the first bird that comes to mind is the Great Blue Heron. Its large size and frequent appearances make it the obvious first choice. However, on the Island, we are fortunate to have many species of herons, including the Black-crowned Night Heron.
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Migratory Birds Arrive
Migratory birds show up on Kiawah Island in large numbers during the winter months as they move south to avoid freezing weather. Beautifully colored cedar waxwings can be seen in large flocks feeding on berries throughout the Island. Yellow-rumped warblers are very abundant during winter, feeding primarily on wax myrtle berries, and are in fact the only warbler species capable of digesting these berries.
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Waterfowl Start Heading South
As the weather cools down in the fall, waterfowl action heats up in the Lowcountry. After spending the warm summer months in breeding areas to the north, migratory waterfowl head back down the coast to spend the winter in our island ponds and salt marshes. Common species include Hooded and Red-Breasted Mergansers, Bufflehead, Lesser Scaup, and Black Scoters.
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Bobcat Denning Season
Spring and early summer is denning season for the Island’s resident female bobcats. Bobcats typically den in hollow logs, stumps, or thick patches of vegetation, and have an average of two kittens per litter. Kittens open their eyes after 10 days and will rely on their mother’s milk for the first 12 weeks. After they are weaned, they will feed on prey caught by their mother until they are approximately five months old, when they are able to hunt for themselves.
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Recent
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An Evening with Darius Rucker to Benefit the MUSC Children’s Hospital Fund
Darius Rucker, a Charlestonian by birth and now a favorite international celebrity, will once again take on the tunes of the legendary Frank Sinatra in a one-night show at the…
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Kiawah Island Golf Resort Releases ‘Golf or Gourmet Escape Packages’
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Golf International Discusses Why Kiawah May Be The Best Golf Community In America
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Things To Do: Fall Fun on Kiawah
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