The White Ibis, or Eudocimus albus, is a wading bird frequently seen here in the low country. Adult white ibises are white with a long-curved red bill and bright red legs and a red bare patch around their eye and bill. As for the juveniles, they have patches of white and brown with light pink, legs, face, and bill. These birds are often seen foraging near fresh, brackish, and salt water. They probe for various insects and crustaceans by inserting their long-curved bill into the mud and feeling for prey. Once they feel something, they pinch it like tweezers and pull it from the mud. After they are pulled from the mud, they will often rinse the mud off or if they have captured a crab or crayfish, they will remove the claws and shell. They have also been known to stab or pinch small frogs, fish, lizards, newts, and snails while walking along the water’s edge.

During nesting season, the white ibis will nest in colonies in trees or shrubs and the female will build the nest in the forks of live or dead trees. The male will gather sticks while the female will occasionally gather sticks to build the nest, and after 7 days the nest is fully built and ready to house some eggs! It has also been seen that the white ibis will nest and forage near freshwater due to their chicks being unable to consume large amounts of salt. Both parents are invested in their young and will take turns feeding the chicks. After 7 weeks, the juvenile Ibises can forage and fly on their own and will leave the colony and can often be seen foraging with the adults.

The white ibis is the most prevalent wading bird in the southeast. In recent years, their total range has increased in the U.S, with a northward spread on the Atlantic Coast. Their population has also been steady since 1966 and Partners in Flight has estimated that their global breeding population is 2.4 million and is of low conservation concern. But, like other wading birds they rely on the wetlands and any changes to water levels may affect the white ibises survival and breeding success. The white ibis is a resilient wading bird that can be seen throughout the low country. Summer is usually the best time of year to find these birds, and the Sunset Tour from the downtown Beaufort marina gives a great opportunity to climb onboard our USCG certified vessel, appropriately named Ibis, to see these birds returning to their evening roost in the Cypress Wetlands.

Post by Ally Jo Salomon (Naturalist)

Being in a kayak is not only a watersport, but a very personal experience. At the helm of a boat, the spartina grass passes by quickly, creating a green blur in the periphery of my eyesight. The oyster reefs go from sedentary havens peeking out of the water to mounds of pluff mud as the boat speeds by, guests eager to see Atlantic bottlenose dolphins. From the seat of my kayak, the spartina explodes with life, insects taking flight and periwinkles slowly making their way up the bright green reeds. The oyster reefs are a sprawling city of fiddler, blue and stone crabs, grass shrimp breaching the water’s surface, and Atlantic oysters as they spit water during the receding tide. From the seat of my kayak, the marsh comes to life.

As I paddle through the salt marsh estuaries of Beaufort, I am able to feel a close connection with everything surrounding me. It is a serene place to be, to shut my eyes and listen, and to observe. The sounds of the marsh include the chatter of red-winged blackbirds, the snap of pistol shrimp, the splash of bait fish moving in schools at the surface of the water, and the rush of saltwater around my boat. My nose is greeted with wind that carries the scent of sea salt, with hints of that characteristic sulfuric smell that comes from anaerobic bacteria in the pluff mud. From the seat of my kayak, I am really able to get close to shorebirds like the whimbrel and see the patterns of their plumage. Even secretive birds like the clapper rail make themselves known as my kayak quietly passes by. In the presence of my boat, bonnethead sharks feel confident enough to forage for crabs on the bank while I look on in awe. Glancing over the side of my kayak during low tide, I can catch glimpses into the mysterious lives of animals like the red beard sponge, sea whips, and shellfish such as banded tulips. The animals, insects, grass, mud, water, scents, and noises all work together like one great machine to create the character of the salt marsh.

From the seat of my kayak, I become a functioning part of this brilliant, fragile, and complex ecosystem. From the seat of my kayak, I realize I have always been a part of it.

Post by Eric Ng (Naturalist)