January 14th-18th. Hunting Island and Huntington Beach, SC. We were surprised at the differences in the South Carolina State Parks vs. those of Florida. In SC it was our impression that Resource Management is designed for the convenience of managers rather than to protect or conserve their resources. Life must be much easier for managers if the park rules are set up so that they don’t need to say “no” to anyone. Dogs were allowed everywhere including any beaches, often without the owners using leashes or poop bags; not just in the recreation areas but the places where resource management should be their primary consideration. Visitors were carting off (literally a cart in one case) resources with no shame or control. Feral Cats were hanging out in the scrub just beyond the campsite. We even watched a park employee remove sand from a dune with a front loader, tearing up sea oats in the process, to move it into the campground for fill.
Chuck commented that while change is a constant on a barrier island, it seems that disturbance has been particularly intense on Hunting Island. The remnants of the oak forest made for impressive photographs,
Hunting Island
but it also suggests an atypical rate of change. The park attempted to reduce erosion by inserting groins (a coastal engineering method of running long girder out into the water to prevent beach erosion) however, the construction of seawalls by nearby development may well have had more of an impact on the pattern of island erosion. Both parks had plenty of pine forest but unlike Florida parks, where fire is included in a management plan, we saw no evidence of any burning regimen.
We were able to bird, in yet more cold and windy weather, thankfully dodging the rain and ending up adding eight new birds. Included in the 8 were three that we were excited to see- Common Eider, White-winged Scoter, and Northern Gannet, and we continued our trend of adding at least one species a day. The next day however we planned a birding break for a visit to the Brookgreen Gardens and to travel to North Carolina.
Leaving Huntington Beach on the 18th, Chuck had agreed to my request for a day of rest from birding, which was inspired by the fact that within a quarter mile of the campground was Brookgreen Gardens.
Brookgreen Gardens
We ended up spending several enjoyable hours in the “garden” created by the Huntington’s in 1931 as an outdoor museum of sculpture under truly regal live oaks. 50 acres for 1400+ sculptures worked into lawns, gardens, fountains, garden rooms, interior galleries, and even visible sculpture storage. All this surrounded by rice fields left over from the plantations that this museum was created from. There was even a zoo that we had to save for our next visit.
We attended Brookgreen’s orientation, looked around for less than 5 minutes, and realized that we were surrounded by more than gardens and sculpture… we had BIRDS! And they were birds which were NOT yet on our list. So, with our day “off” ended, we went back to the van to suit up with binoculars and cameras. We were able to add 4 new species, all while surrounded by a magical mix of art and gardens! Brookgreen Gardens has moved to number 1 on my list of places to return to. The entry ticket allows re-entry for a full week, and I believe that I could spend just that much time there. Clearly, the rules posted and enforced which included no pets, no alcohol, no smoking, and the requirement of proper attire benefit this beautiful facility, and prove that it is NOT managed by the SC Park Service.