Read about our BIRDING PLUS tours concept.

A series of three pelagic trips out to the Gulf Stream offers Carolina birding at its finest. We expect a variety of seabirds and Gulf Stream specialties, including Audubon's Shearwater, Black-capped Petrel, and probably Band-rumped Storm-Petrel or Bridled Tern, as well as migrant birds bound for the northern latitudes--Long-tailed Jaeger, Leach's Storm-Petrel, Manx and Greater shearwaters, and South Polar Skua. And nearly every May trip has a genuine surprise, with Bermuda, Fea's, and Herald petrels and White-tailed and Red-billed tropicbirds all possible. Still other sea life abounds and the very unpredictability makes each day exciting, with whales, sea turtles, sharks, and other creatures often punctuating the birding.

By alternating days between land and sea we will have time to study the birds and creatures we've seen offshore through a series of instructive lectures and also to study some shorebirds and songbirds on land. We'll finish up in the pine flatwoods near Beaufort where we'll look for Red-cockaded Woodpecker, Swainson's Warbler, Bachman's Sparrow, and Brown-headed Nuthatch, all species scarce north of North Carolina. The beautiful beaches here host nesting Piping and Wilson's plovers, American Oystercatcher, Black Skimmer, and Fish Crow, and Painted Buntings reach their northern limit on the Crystal Coast.

If the allure of the southern swamps intrigues you, and if you've still not found your way into the Gulf Stream to gawk at gadfly petrels, then come join us for some hush puppies, some great seafood, and an exhilarating and educational trip to this bird-rich region.

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