A Walk to the Jetty

 

Birdwatching on the jetty at 
Huntington Beach State Park, South Carolina.

Huntington Beach State Park is a natural gem tucked among the beach houses, condos, t-shirt shops and golf courses (miniature and full-sized) on the South Carolina coast.  The park has salt marshes, freshwater ponds, maritime forest, the ruins of a grand house and a wide, wild beach.  The north end of the island is bounded by Murrells Inlet and the inlet is protected by two stone jetties.

Paved path on the jetty.
Photo courtesy of Ms. Malia Kline. 

We have been visiting Huntington Beach for many years and the highlight of any trip there is a walk to the jetty at Murrells Inlet. It is about a mile and a half to the jetty and there is so much to see along the way. The best time to do the jetty walk is early morning.  As the sun sneaks over the horizon, warm light bathes the beach. 

 

Birders on the beach at sunrise.

Walking toward the jetty.

The jetty is visible on the horizon at the right.

Birds are a major attraction when going to the jetty and we often go with a dedicated group of birders.  In fall and winter, ducks and loons are on the ocean and in the inlet.  Terns and gulls abound, wheeling overhead and taking their food from the sea or the beach. 

A male Black Scoter (Melanitta americana) bobbing in the surf next to the Jetty.
 

Common Loon (Gavia immer) in winter plumage.  

Ring-billed Gull (Larus delawarensis).
 

Bonaparte's Gull (Chroicocephalus philadelphia) at the jetty. 

Large flocks of Black Skimmers (Rynchops niger) loaf on the sandbars inside the inlet.  These relatives of terns are black and white with a long bill.  That bill is a defining feature of Black Skimmers.  The lower mandible is longer than the upper mandible.   When feeding, Black Skimmers fly just above the  water, cutting the surface with their beaks.  If the lower mandible hits a small sea creature, the bill snaps closed and the Skimmer has a meal. 

Black Skimmers (Rynchops niger), Royal Terns (Thalasseus maximus),
Caspian Terns (Hydropogne caspia), and Sandwich Terns (Thalasseus sandvicensis)
 resting on a sandbar. 

 

Black Skimmers over Murrells Inlet. 

Ruddy Turnstones (Arenaria intrepes) pick their way along the rocks of the jetty looking for invertebrate prey.  Their hunting strategy is to turn over small rocks and shells.  Ruddy Turnstones have a distinct black and white pattern on the face and breast, orange legs and the namesake ruddy feathers on the back.  The winter version of this plumage is a little less dramatic but there is no mistaking a Ruddy Turnstone.  

Ruddy Turnstone (Arenaria intrepes).

Sandpipers and plovers walk the sand probing for food. Black-bellied Plovers (Pluvialis squatarola) are large (for plovers) and in winter have lost their black belly feathers. Sanderlings (Calidris alba) are small sandpipers, that in winter are a dapper gray and white.  They tirelessly run up and down the beach like a windup toy, following the breaking waves seeking small crustaceans washed in by the surf.  

Black-bellied Plover (Pluvialis squatarola). 

Sanderlings (Calidris alba) at sunrise. 

Semipalmated Plovers (Charadrius semipalmatus) and Semipalmated Sandpipers (Calidris pusilla) are seen both on the beach and dunes on the way to jetty.  These two birds are not closely related but are of a similar size and they both have small webs between their toes, giving them their Semipalmated name.

Semipalmated Sandpiper (Calidris pusilla). 

Semipalmated Plover (Charadrius semipalmatus).

A large sandpiper on this beach is the Willet (Tringa semiplamata).  Willets are gray and white in fall and winter.  When Willets fly, they say their name “Pee-will-willet” and show flashes of black and white on their wings. 

Willet (Tringa semipalmata).

At the base of the jetty there is a small saltmarsh and in winter Saltmarsh Sparrows (Ammospiza caudacuta) live there.  These elusive sparrows jump up on the stems of marsh grass and even on the rocks to give us short looks.  

Saltmarsh Sparrow (Ammospiza caudacuta).

Brown Pelicans (Pelicanus occidentalis) fish the Atlantic and inlet while raptors, including Ospreys (Pandion haliaetus) and Bald Eagles (Haliaeetus leucocephalus), soar by on their hunting trips. Skeins of Double-crested Cormorants (Nannopterum auritum) cross from marsh to sea on their travels. 

Brown Pelican (Pelicanus occidentalis).

Ospery (Pandion hailaetus).

Bald Eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus).

Double-crested Cormorants (Nannopterum auritum) over the beach.

A walk to the Jetty at Huntington Beach is always rewarding.  The sun, the light, the sand, the water and the birds make this trek a wonderous experience.  

Walking the beach with masks during COVID.