May Update
Painted Buntings have returned to the Grand Strand! A seed tube filled with White Millet may attract
them to your backyard!
The Ruby-throated Hummingbirds are nesting. They love insects and nectar rich flowers as well as
Hummingbird Feeders.
Eastern Bluebirds are nesting – some are tending to their first brood; others are already on their second!
They enjoy mealworms, shelled sunflower seeds and Bark Butter Bits.
**We are excited that Mike Walker, Interpretative Ranger at Huntington Beach State Park, will share
Sea Bird, Shore Bird and Sea Turtle information on Saturday, May 4, 2019. The seminar will be
held at the shop at 11:00. Mike’s extensive knowledge and great sense of humor are always enjoyable!
Please call the shop to reserve your spot (843/748-0989).**
Mother’s Day Sale – 20% off Bird Baths and Garden Accessories. Find a gift that beautifies her
outdoor space that she will enjoy for many years. This offer will be available through 5/11/19 at the
Surfside Beach shop.
Daily Savings Club Members Special: Numerous birds regularly eat insects as part of their diet.
In fact, almost 80% of the world’s bird families include some insects in their diet. Offering mealworms
is a fun way to attract insect-eating birds, including some that normally don’t visit feeders. Especially
helpful when parent birds are raising their young, mealworms are an excellent source of protein and a
wonderful addition to any bird feeding setup. When you purchase a Sphere Mealworm Feeder and
receive a 3.5-ounce bag of Dried Mealworms FREE. The DSC Special is valid from May 13 -31, 2019.
The Bluebird Trail at Huntington Beach State Park is being monitored on a weekly basis. It has
been a joy to hear what the Trail Monitors have seen in the nest boxes over the past month. Four out
of the six nest boxes contain nests. Three of those nests have eggs and the fourth box has 3 young
Carolina Wrens! If you are interested in participating in the monitoring process, please let us know!
Training and equipment are provided.
The Waccamaw Audubon Society meeting will be held on Thursday, May 9, 2019. Tom Mullikin, a
lawyer, professor, soldier, traveler and writer, will discuss Environmental Policy and the Law. The meeting
will be held at St. Paul’s Methodist Church (180 St. Paul Place – Pawleys Island, SC). Refreshments will
be available at 6:00 pm. The meeting is open to the public, so please join us!
A Bird Walk is scheduled on at 10:00 on Saturday, May 18, 2019. Please call for details and to put
your name on the list!
Thank you to everyone who participated in April’s Feeder Swap! Over 2 dozen have been refurbished
and are being donated to a local hospice.
Songbird (and birds of prey) sightings in the area over the past couple of months have been:
Acadian Flycatcher, American Crow, American Goldfinch, American Kestrel,
American Robin, Bald Eagle, Barn Swallow, Barred Owl, Belted Kingfisher,
Black-and-white Warbler, Black-throated Blue Warbler, Blue-gray Gnatcatcher,
Black-throated Green Warbler, Blue Grosbeak, Blue-headed Vireo, Blue Jay,
Boat-Tailed Grackle, Brown Creeper, Brown-headed Cowbird,
Brown-headed Nuthatch, Brown Thrasher, Carolina Chickadee, Carolina Wren,
Cedar Waxwing, Chestnut-sided Warbler, Chipping Sparrow, Common Grackle,
Cooper’s Hawk, Dark Eyed Junco, Downy Woodpecker, Eastern Bluebird,
Eastern Kingbird, Eastern Meadowlark, Eastern Phoebe, Eastern Towhee,
Eastern Wood-Pewee, Eurasian Collared-Dove, European Starling, Field Sparrow,
Fish Crow, Golden-crowned Kinglet, Grasshopper Sparrow, Gray Catbird,
Great Crested Flycatcher, Hairy Woodpecker, Hermit Thrush, Hooded Warbler,
House Finch, House Sparrow, House Wren, Indigo Bunting, Killdeer,
Magnolia Warbler, Marsh Wren, Merlin, Mourning Dove, Nelson’s Sparrow,
Northern Cardinal, Northern Flicker, Northern Harrier, Northern Mockingbird,
Northern Parula, Northern Rough-winged Swallow, Orange-crowned Warbler,
Osprey, Ovenbird, Painted Bunting, Palm Warbler, Peregrine Falcon,
Pileated Woodpecker, Pine Warbler, Prairie Warbler, Prothonotary Warbler,
Purple Martin, Purple Finch, Red-bellied Woodpecker, Red-eyed Vireo,
Red-headed Woodpecker, Red-shouldered Hawk, Red-tailed Hawk,
Red-winged Blackbird, Roseate Spoonbill, Rose-breasted Grosbeak,
Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Ruby-throated Hummingbird, Rusty Blackbird,
Saltmarsh Sparrow, Savannah Sparrow, Seaside Sparrow, Sedge Wren,
Sharp-shinned Hawk, Song Sparrow, Summer Tanager, Swallow-tailed Kite,
Swamp Sparrow, Tree Swallow, Tufted Titmouse, Turkey Vulture,
White-breasted Nuthatch, White-crowned Sparrow, White-eyed Vireo,
White-throated Sparrow, Wood Thrush, Worm-eating Warbler,
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker, Yellow-billed Cuckoo, Yellow-rumped Warbler,
Yellow-throated Warbler, Yellow Warbler
A couple of vagrants have been sighted by customers that are not normally found in
our area have been the Lark Bunting and the White-tailed Grackle.
Keep feeding the birds!
Diane and Rich DuLoft
Wild Birds Unlimited
8703 U.S. Highway 17 Bypass - Suite E
Surfside Beach, SC 29575
843/748-0989
