Twitcher’s Patch: the Birding Blog of Hilton Head Island and Beyond
Welcome to Twitcher’s Patch—a blog where passionate birders (“twitchers”) and nature lovers can discover the magic of their favorite birdwatching spots (“patches”) across Hilton Head Island, the Lowcountry and beyond.
Twitcher’s Patch is where I share stories and observations from time spent watching birds on Hilton Head Island, throughout the South Carolina Lowcountry, and in places farther afield. A patch is more than a birding location—it is a place returned to often enough to recognize its birds, habitats, seasons, and changing rhythms.
Here you will find articles about bird behavior, migration, and breeding; photography techniques, creative practice, and ethics; habitat, weather, and conservation; birding places and journeys; and practical guides for spending more rewarding time in the field. Each story grows from firsthand observation and a commitment to respectful birding and wildlife photography.
Whether you are hoping to better understand what birds are doing, strengthen your photography, prepare for a birding outing, or experience a landscape through its wildlife, Twitcher’s Patch invites you to look more closely—one place, one bird, and one story at a time.
Read the Bird: Silhouettes
Learn how to photograph bird silhouettes by focusing on shape, light, and gesture. A field-based guide to creating powerful backlit bird images without relying on detail.
Following the Tide: Whimbrels, Monkey Island, and Spring Migration in the ACE Basin
Experience spring migration in South Carolina’s ACE Basin on a sunrise boat trip to Otter Island and Morgan Island. Photograph Whimbrels, migrating shorebirds, rhesus monkeys, and smoky Lowcountry skies from the water.
Meet the Orange-Alert Shorebirds of Hilton Head Island Part 2: Red Knot (A Species at a Tipping Point)
Discover Red Knots on Hilton Head Island during spring migration. Learn why this Orange Alert “tipping point” shorebird depends on Lowcountry mudflats to rest and refuel along the Atlantic Flyway.
Read the Bird: Don't Fight the Flock. How to Compose Bird Photos That Tell a Story
Learn how to compose bird photos that tell a story — from the decisive moment to negative space, gesture, and working within a mixed flock.
Pastel Dawn Skies and Lowcountry Birds: The Rayleigh Effect
What turns a Hilton Head dawn pastel pink and gold? The physics of Rayleigh scattering - and the shorebirds and egrets that appear with the rising tide and light along the coast.
Japanese Aesthetics in Lowcountry Photography (Part 1): Wabi-Sabi and Impermanence
Wabi-sabi the Japanese art of impermanence transforms how you photograph shorebirds on Hilton Head Island. Marbled Godwits and Sanderlings in minimal coastal light.
Birding Northern Greece: Lake Kerkini and the Dalmatian Pelicans
Lake Kerkini, Greece draws thousands of Dalmatian Pelicans in winter. Field notes and eye-level portraits from a cold morning on the water's edge in the northern Balkans.
Birding Northern Greece: Thessaloniki to the Kalochori Wetlands
A winter birding arrival in Northern Greece - landing in Thessaloniki, then tracking flamingos and shorebirds south to the wetlands of the Thermaic Gulf.
Meet the Orange-Alert Shorebirds of Hilton Head Island Part 1: Black-bellied Plover
How to identify the Black-bellied Plover on Hilton Head Island through the seasons of migration. Plus its plumage, feeding habits and Orange Alert conservation status.
Winter Visitors on the Pinckney Island NWR Ponds
This field-note birding walk on Pinckney Island NWR, from the Main Trail to Ibis, Starr, and Osprey Ponds, as winter birds settle in. Hooded Mergansers, American Coots, Pied-billed Grebes, cormorants, kingfishers, and small songbirds.
In the Footsteps of Walter Anderson: Art, Color, Shorebirds and Seabirds on the Port Royal Sound
Explore how the vibrant coastal art and journals of Walter Anderson inspire birding and nature photography on Hilton Head Island.