For the third year, John and Dianne Faucette have surveyed the osprey nests on Hilton Head Island under the direction of the LowCountry Institute on behalf of Beaufort County, SC. In summer 2009, the LowCountry Institute partnered with the Sea Island Fly Fishers Club of Beaufort, Parris Island, and the Fripp Island Audubon Club to survey nesting osprey populations in the Port Royal Sound area. Ospreys can serve as an environmental indicator because they require a healthy fishery to survive. A total of 125 platforms were observed in the Beaufort County survey in 2009 (20 on Hilton Head Island). Of these, 78 (62%) had active nests. This data is being used as a baseline and compared with surveys in future years. In 2010, we observed 30 nests on Hilton Head Island, of which 19 (63%) were active. In 2011, 32 nests were observed, 25 of which had chicks (78%). These platforms and nests are shown below. (Click on image to enlarge.)

01-Spanish Wells Business Park	02-Wild Horse Rd	03-Honey Horn	04-Pembroke Rd. behind Wendy's	05-Wilborn Rd. in school ball field	06-Squire Pope Rd. at ferry parking lot
07-Main St. near HHP main gate	08-Pembroke Rd. behind Wal-Mart	09-Indigo Run- Branford Lane-16	10-Indigo Run- Branford Lane-17	11-Santee Cooper tower-Power Alley	12-Palmetto Electric tower on Mathews
13-Sam's Club parking lot	14-Union Cemetery Rd.	15-Palmetto Dunes water tank	16-Hargray tower on William Hilton Pkwy.	17-Van Der Meer by courts 4-5	18-Van Der Meer by courts 12-13
19-Radio station tower-New Orleans Rd.	20-PSD tower in Sea Pines Forest Preserve	21-Cross Island Parkway sign	(no activity) 22-Wilborn Rd. in school parking lot	(no activity) 23-Wilborn Rd. in LaCrosse field	24-Cypress golf course behind Birdsong Way
25-Cypress water tank in HHP	26-Seabrook Dr. at Ladson Ct.-HHP	27-Goodrich home on Bear Lake-HHP	28-Berwick Dr.-golf course-Indigo Run	(no activity) 29-Cell tower at 616 William Hilton Pkwy.	30-Fazio course- Palmetto Dunes

Here are our favorite photos from nest 01:

Read the story in the Island Packet about nest #27: http://www.islandpacket.com/2010/09/13/1367671/packet-sea-foam-circle-of-life.html 

Anyone observing an Osprey nest or nesting platform on Hilton Head Island is asked to please contact Dianne Faucette to report its location for inclusion in our next monitoring season.

Hilton Head Nature

All photos © Dianne Faucette
visitors since 9/13/2010