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Bear Island – A trek back in time

A Little Blue Heron

Yesterday I had the pleasure of going to Bear Island on a nature trek with friends. If you’ve never been, Bear Island is about 45 minutes South of Charleston off Highway 17.  You’ve probably passed it a million times on your way to Beauford or Hilton Head.  Unlike the artificial parks that house wildlife in cages or behind glass walls, Bear Island is open to the world and all it’s wonderful creatures.  Thousands of acres of reclaimed rice paddies dot the landscape separated by dirt roads skillfully planted with tall grasses and reeds. 

As we drove down the narrow two-lane road a giant Wild Boar slumbered across the road about a 1000 yards in front of us.  At first I thought it was the biggest, fattest Rottweilier I’d ever seen, but my friends with binoculars verified its true nature.  This was only the begining of an excellent day of sightings.

Over the next four hours we encountered more species than I’d seen in all the other place I’d visited in the last year combined.  Tundra Swans, Coots, Grebes, Moorhens, White Pelicans, Ducks of all varieties, all fed together in the waters to each side of the road. 

Pulling over to get a better look, we discovered that the tree-lined pathways were alive with countless Warblers and other songbirds.  Every swatch of grass held a new discovery. Red-winged Blackbirds chorled their unique calls as hundreds of Tree Swallows danced right by our heads.  The quieter we became, the more we discovered.

Going deeper into the island we found tracks of Deer, Raccoon, and other mammals and Scat evidence of Bobcat. 

On one of the tiny islands I spotted a nest about 4-5 feet wide about 20 feet up a pine tree. We could only guess at its inhabitants.

As glorious as it was, a mantra kept playing in the back of my mind.

“Paradise is no longer paradise once everyone moves in.”  A theory I’ve developed since I moved down here. 

Ask anyone down here over forty what the outdoors was like when they were a child.  They’ll tell you stories about Wild Boar swimming over to Peas Island, seeing Red Foxes along Hwy 41 in Mt Pleasant and catching Minks in the marsh grasses of James Island.  

Today housing developments have replaced grassy fields, retention ponds have replaced lowland swamps and water parks have replaced forests.

Of course, it’s too late to reverse this and I’ll be the last one to tell you to abandon your modern conveniences.  (I too enjoy my nice home, my clean yard, my civilized neighborhood.) But I will ask you to cultivate an awareness of your role in the overall scheme of things. 

Trekking through the wilderness of South Carolina, or anywhere for that matter, breeds an awareness of our impact on the world.  Everytime I come home from one of these excursions, I add more to the wildlife habitat in my own yard, maybe let the bushes grow a little taller or plant native, ornamental grasses for the songbirds who pass through.   I invite you to do the same.  Who knows, maybe if we all did just one more little thing, our grandchildren will once again be able to enjoy the wildlife we saw as children.

If you would like more information on creating your own backyard habitat, contact a local garden club or visit The National Wildlife Federation.